Thousands of Gimcheon residents protest decision to deploy THAAD

(Baonghean.vn) - About 1,000 people from southern Gimcheon on October 5 held a large demonstration in central Seoul to protest the decision to deploy the THAAD system between the US and South Korea in Seongju province, adjacent to Gimcheon city.

Gimcheon residents hold a protest in Seoul, South Korea on October 5. Photo: Yonhap

Protesters have called on the South Korean government to abandon plans to deploy the THAAD defense system at a golf course in Seongju Province by the end of 2017 to counter the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea. The THAAD defense system is a core element of the US global missile defense program.

Residents of Gimcheon City believe that the THAAD system could pose a threat to the health of residents and negatively affect agricultural crops in the area. They are also concerned that the Gimcheon area could become a military target if the THAAD system is deployed nearby.

Some members of the Won Buddhist sect also joined the protest, raising concerns that the THAAD deployment could negatively impact pilgrimage sites not far from where the defense system is deployed.

"We want to send a clear message to the president about the suffering of Gimcheon residents," said Na Young-min, one of the protest leaders. Na later sent a letter to President Park Geun-hye calling for the cancellation of the deployment plan.

Previously, President Park has repeatedly defended the deployment of the THAAD system as only a "minimum self-defense measure" to deal with Pyongyang's growing security threat.

Thanh Hien

(According to Yonhap)