RALLIES against the deployment of a U.S. missile shield in South Korea spread as people living in the originally designated site officially called for deliberation on another place to install the shield.
Thousands of residents in the southeastern city of Gimcheon gathered Wednesday evening to hold a rally against the deployment decision concerning the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which was made in early July between Seoul and Washington.
The two allies initially agreed to deploy the U.S. missile defense battery at a missile emplacement in Seongju county in North Gyeongsang province by the end of next year.
Seongju residents aroused the bitterest opposition to the closed-door decision without any prior notice and explanation, demanding a re-examination of where the super microwave-emitting radar is sited.
One THAAD battery is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, a fire control unit and an X-band radar, which is known to emit microwaves detrimental to human bodies and the environment.
On Aug. 17, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo visited Seongju county, saying that if residents formally call for a redesignation within the county, the defense ministry will reconsider where the U.S. missile shield is sited.(Xinhua)
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