Seoul tries to get Thaad battery going through assessment

A photo of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang taken on Aug. 18. [NEWS1]

The Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that it will conduct an environmental impact assessment of the U.S. military's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) antimissile battery as preparations begin to normalize the system's operation.

The ministry promised to confer with residents of Seongju, North Gyeongsang, where the battery is located, throughout the process.

“Thaad is a means of self-defense designed to protect the lives and safety of our people from the threat of North Korean missiles,” Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Hong-sik said at a regular briefing, adding, “We will also lead communication with local residents.”

Thaad is a U.S. missile defense system designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their re-entry phase. The system is deployed to protect U.S. military assets in South Korea.

The system’s deployment has been vehemently opposed by Beijing, which claims its powerful radar could be used to spy on Chinese missile installations, but also by people who live nearby and activist groups who argue that the system is a prime target in the event of war. Some claim — without much scientific evidence — that its radar could sicken people.

Thaad uses a high-resolution radar designed to detect and track ballistic missile threats at long distances and high altitudes. The system’s radar and infrared seeking technology are used to guide six mobile launchers and 48 interceptor missiles.

The Defense Ministry tried to dispel rumors about the radar’s alleged adverse health effects in 2016 by demonstrating to reporters that a similar radar used by currently deployed Patriot missile systems emits electromagnetic waves well below the limit set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s guidelines.

The installation of the current Thaad system in Seongju took place in October 2017 under the Moon Jae-in administration, but formation of the group in charge of carrying out an environmental impact assessment has been repeatedly delayed.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers on the National Assembly’s defense committee on Monday that an environmental impact assessment group had finally been formed on Aug. 19.

Absent an environmental impact assessment, the Thaad system remains only “temporarily installed,” meaning it is not currently in operation.

Its legal limbo status has also hindered development of the surrounding area — formerly a golf course owned by the Lotte Group — into an actual military base.

U.S. and South Korean military personnel posted to the site are housed in shipping containers converted into makeshift barracks.

Although a military installation’s environmental impact assessment would normally take up to a year, the Defense Ministry plans to wrap up the Thaad assessment within nine months.

The ministry said it also intends to stop critics and protestors from impeding road access to the Thaad site.

Deliveries of essential supplies such as food and water to Thaad’s personnel are currently limited to five times a week due to regular protests. More sensitive supplies, such as materials needed for the maintenance of the site, are flown in by helicopter.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]