SEOUL– A Seoul court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit filed by local residents against the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in a southern town.
In 2017, 396 residents of Seongju County and Gimcheon City in North Gyeongsang Province filed an administrative suit claiming the defense ministry did not fulfill its obligations to conduct a public notification and a strategic environmental impact assessment before the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju.
The plaintiffs initially sought the court’s confirmation that the ministry failed to meet legal duties. But in November 2022, they requested the court revoke the government’s approval of the installation of the missile unit.
The Seoul Administrative Court said it decided not to hear the case because it failed to meet the requirements for litigation.
The legal representatives of the plaintiffs expressed disappointment and said they will appeal the ruling.
Source: Yonhap News Agency