Thousands of protesters oppose THAAD deployment in South Korea

Thousands of people gathered today to protest near the US embassy in Seoul, South Korea, against the deployment of THAAD in this country.

Protesters. Photo: Yonhap.

Protesters accused US President Donald Trump of "forcing" South Korea to deploy the controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system, according to AFP.

The protest comes as South Korean President Moon Jae-in visits Washington next week and meets with his US counterpart Trump amid rapidly rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

This was the largest protest held since South Korea and the US agreed to deploy THAAD, with about 4,000 people participating. The protesters carried banners with messages such as: "Trump, stop forcing (South Korea) to deploy THAAD" or "No THAAD, no Trump".

The crowd included residents from the southeastern Seongju area, where THAAD is installed, who say the system poses health and environmental hazards and that its presence in the area would make their area a prime target for North Korean attacks.

According to VNE