SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday announced a site change for a U.S. missile shield, which Seoul and Washington had agreed to deploy in southeastern South Korea by the end of next year, amid strong oppositions from people living in the originally designated site.
Seoul's Defense Ministry originally planned to announce the changed site in the afternoon after explaining it to residents concerned and lawmakers at about 2 p.m. local time (0500 GMT), but the explanations were brought forward on requests from the residents, according to local media reports.
Military authorities of South Korea and the United States jointly announced their agreement in July to deploy one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery at a missile emplacement in Seongju county in North Gyeongsang province.
Seongju residents aroused the bitterest opposition to the closed-door decision without any prior notice and explanation, demanding a re-examination of where the super microwave-emitting radar is sited.
One THAAD battery is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, a fire control unit and an X-band radar, which is known to emit microwaves detrimental to human bodies and environment.
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