SEONGJU, South Korea– The military delivered equipment to a U.S. THAAD missile defense unit here in the wee hours of Sunday, a civic group said, as the government moves to normalize access to the base despite local residents’ opposition.
The equipment from the U.S. Forces Korea and the South Korean military were brought onto the base in Seongju, 220 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 1:30 a.m., according to the group opposed to the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit.
It marked the first time for such items to be delivered on the weekend since May 2021, when the USFK and the defense ministry began sending equipment to remodel troops’ barracks. Around 10 vehicles were delivered on Sunday, including a bulldozer, a fueling vehicle and a van.
Local residents rushed to the site to protest after hearing the sound of the delivery vehicles.
The civic group said the police and the defense ministry had informed them there would be no deliveries during the weekend but used the cover of darkness to make a sudden delivery.
The THAAD system was installed in the southeastern county in 2017 to cope with North Korea’s missile threats.
The unit has not been able to run at full capacity amid protests by local residents and activists concerned about possible hazards to human health and the environment, and a pending environmental impact assessment.
The government earlier pledged to secure unfettered road access to the base by the end of August.
Until recently, deliveries of construction material and other items were transported by trucks two to three times a week.
In June, the number was increased to up to five times a week.
Source: Yonhap News Agency