by Yoo Seungki
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Thursday that where Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is sited can be re-considered, but it has nothing to solve over numerous controversies emerging since its deployment decision to its soil.
On July 8, Seoul and Washington abruptly announced their agreement to deploy one THAAD battery by the end of next year. Five days later, the site was fixed in Seongju county, some 250 km southeast of Seoul.
Seongju residents were enraged at the out-of-the-blue, closed-door decision, throwing water bottles and eggs at Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-an and Defense Minister Han Min-koo, who visited the county on July 15 to appease locals. At the time, Park was not in the country to attend the ASEM summit.
Local residents have since held candlelight rallies every night to protest against the THAAD deployment in their hometown. On one side of the night event venue, organizers have received applications for the defection as a member of the ruling Saenuri Party.
Baek Cheol-hyun, co-chair of the anti-THAAD committee consisted of Seongju villagers, told a press conference on Tuesday that THAAD must not be deployed in any place of South Korean soil as he and other Seongju residents informed of what THAAD is.
Park said the deployment site can be moved if a new site proves appropriate through close and precise deliberations. However, she added a proviso that the new site must be found inside Seongju county.
Furthermore, Park met with the ruling party's first-term lawmakers in the name of hearing public voices from Seongju county, instead of meeting directly with angry residents.
Participants in the meeting with Park were 10 first-term lawmakers of the Saenuri Party and a second-term Saenuri member who was re-elected in Seongju county in the April general elections. All came from South Gyeongsang province, a traditional political home turf for Park and the governing party.
The second-term lawmaker, Lee Wan-young, appeared at a local radio program saying on Thursday that it would work if Park comes to Seongju to directly meet and talk with people.
Read the full story at Xinhua