THAAD Radiation Fears Spark South Korean Protests

July 15, 2016

VOA News:

Protesters pelted South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn with eggs and water bottles Friday as he tried to allay the concerns of citizens living near the site where the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system will be deployed.

“With regards to the THAAD radar deployment, we will fully listen to your opinion and make sure safety is secured as a priority,” Hwang said as he spoke in front of Seongju County hall on Friday.

Demonstrators responded to the prime minister’s remarks with a chorus of angry jeers and his security team held up brief cases and umbrellas to protect him from the objects being thrown by the angry crowd. He then was forced to take shelter inside the county hall.

Radiation fears

The South Korean Defense Ministry decision this week to deploy THAAD in the southeastern county of Seongju has sparked public fear that THAAD could endanger the health and safety of people living nearby, especially from exposure to radiation from the systems’ powerful radar emissions.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said this week the existential threat posed by North Korea’s increasing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities has prompted the government to quickly bolster its missile defenses.

“This is because we’ve judged that nothing is more important than protecting the lives and the safety of our people under the situation that the North’s nuclear and missile threats have become a reality,” said Park.

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