In April, video footage of a U.S. soldier smiling while taking a video of local residents in protest against the deployment of a THAAD system caused an uproar in the local community. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – The Ministry of National Defense has said it is ‘regretful’ that the environmental safety and noise test of the THAAD anti-missile system in Seongju in North Gyeongsang Province took place without the participation of local residents.
“The Ministry of National Defense asked local residents to participate in the safety inspection conducted by the Ministry of Environment which was intended to assess the controversial risks of electromagnetic waves as well as noise levels on Wednesday. It’s regretful that local residents decided not to attend the site inspection,” a statement released to the press on Wednesday read.
Both the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Environment were expecting participation from local residents to measure the possible risks of electromagnetic waves and noises to put to rest worries over harmful health effects feared by the local community, but strong opposition against the deployment of the controversial U.S. anti-missile system in the region saw residents shun the inspection, with some threatening to block safety inspections in the future.
“As a result of this incident, we are considering the idea of a high-ranking U.S. military official apologizing to local residents over the rude behavior shown by a U.S. soldier while the equipment was being moved on April 26,” the Ministry of National Defense said.
In April, video footage of a U.S. soldier smiling while taking a video of local residents in protest against the deployment of a THAAD system caused an uproar in the local community.
The Ministry of National Defense has said it is ‘regretful’ that the environmental safety and noise test of the THAAD anti-missile system in Seongju in North Gyeongsang Province took place without the participation of local residents. (Image: Yonhap)
“All possible measures are being considered including a site inspection and an apology from a U.S. general in order reach an agreement (with the local community) on conducting a small-scale environmental impact evaluation,” the Ministry of National Defense said.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)
