South Koreans are worried about the deployment of America's most advanced missile system in their backyard
Reuters
South Korea may change the location of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile-defense system battery.
In July, the South Korea defense ministry announced that the THAAD battery would be deployed to Seongju, in the southeastern part of the country.
However, due to protests from residents concerned about health and environmental effects, South Korean President Park Geun-hye is considering a new site for the anti-missile system.
"In consideration of concerns held by the residents of Seongju, we will consider a different site if there is any that the county recommends," Yonhap quoted Park as saying in a meeting with lawmakers.
South Korea's defense ministry, in conjunction with the US, plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017.
There are five THAAD batteries — each of about 100 soldiers — assigned to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. One of those batteries was deployed to Guam in April 2013 in order to deter North Korean provocations and further defend the Pacific region.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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