By: Kim Tong-hyung
SEOUL, South Korea — A contentious U.S. anti-missile system in southeastern South Korea is now operating and can now defend against North Korean missiles, a South Korean official said Tuesday.
SEOUL, South Korea — A contentious U.S. anti-missile system in southeastern South Korea is now operating and can now defend against North Korean missiles, a South Korean official said Tuesday.
The Terminal High Altitude Defense system set up at a converted golf course in Seongju has "early capability" to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threat, Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said. He didn't say when Washington and Seoul expected THAAD to be operating fully.
The deployment has triggered anger from Seongju residents who fear North Korea may target their town and who worry about rumored health hazards linked to THAAD's powerful radar.
People also debate whether the security benefits of THAAD would outweigh drawbacks if relations worsen with China, which sees the system as a threat, and they have been angered by U.S. President Donald Trump's statement that he would make South Korea pay $1 billion for the system.
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