SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to deploy additional launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system regardless of an on-going environmental impact survey, the defense ministry said Thursday.
"The conclusion of the small-scale environmental impact assessment and the initiation of temporary deployment are not in a cause-and-effect relationship," Moon Sang-gyun, spokesman at the Ministry of National Defense said in a press briefing. "They will go separately."
Following an environmental survey, which started late last year under the previous Park Geun-hye administration, the ministry on July 24 submitted the result to the environment ministry for review, which is expected to take about a month.
Moon's remarks suggest the deployment could begin before the environment ministry's review is finished.
Read the full story at YonhapNews