 S. Korea PM egged in protest at US anti-missile system Seoul (AFP) July 15, 2016 - Angry protestors threw eggs and water bottles at South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn on Friday, demanding the decision to deploy a US anti-missile defence system in their hometown be scrapped. Hwang was in Seongju to try and appease residents who are furious over the joint Seoul-Washington decision to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, in their town by the end of next year as a deterrent to repeated sabre-rattling by North Korea. The mob of around 3,000 surrounded a bus that Hwang had taken refuge in to escape the projectile eggs, saying they would not let him go until he promised to retract the decision. The ongoing standoff lasted several hours and it was unclear when -- or how -- a compromise would be reached. The protesters also blocked the entrance to the government compound where Hwang was trapped with a tractor as security guards struggled to keep the crowd at bay. It was the third consecutive day of protests in Seongju, about 200 kilometres (135 miles) southeast of Seoul, where residents say the THAAD deployment will ruin the town's economic mainstay, melon farming, and cause health and environmental hazards. "We apologise for not giving you prior notice," the prime minister had earlier told the gathered protesters -- who held banners that read "We absolutely oppose THAAD deployment". "The government will do its best so the residents can live their daily lives without any concern," said Hwang, accompanied by senior government officials including Defence Minister Han Min-Koo. But his speech was cut short as the mod started to pelt the prime minister with eggs and water bottles, TV footage showed. "You bastard," a protestor shouted, according to Yonhap news agency. "Why would you bring THAAD to Seongju?" The prime minister's visit comes a day after President Park Geun-Hye told government officials to address concerns among Seongju's 45,000 residents over THAAD while calling for an end to "needless" squabbling within the country over the issue. Seoul and Washington last week revealed their decision to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea in the wake of a series of missile and nuclear tests by North Korea. Tensions are high since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by various missile launches that analysts said showed the North was making progress towards being able to strike the US mainland. North Korea on Thursday accused Park of "offering the Korean peninsula to foreign forces as a theatre of a nuclear war." "She unhesitatingly sold off the destiny and interests of the nation and undermined regional peace and stability," the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's KCNA news agency. South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday rebutted the North's comments, defending the planned deployment as a "defensive measure". "We strongly condemn the North's nonsensical slandering aimed at dividing our society," the ministry said in a statement.
|
Seoul said Wednesday an advanced US missile defence system will be deployed in a remote southern county and will have the capacity to protect two thirds of the country against feared attacks from the North.
The plan to deploy the powerful system, which fires projectiles to smash into enemy missiles, came last week after the United States placed North Korea's "Supreme Leader" Kim Jong-Un on its sanctions blacklist for the first time.
The move prompted objections from Russia and China, who accused Washington of flexing its military muscle in the region.
Tensions have soared since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a series of missile launches that analysts say show the North is making progress toward being able to strike the US mainland.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, will be deployed in Seongju county about 200 kilometres (135 miles) southeast of Seoul, as agreed by US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter and his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo, according to the defence ministry in Seoul.
The deployment will be completed by the end of next year and will be able to cover up to two thirds of South Korea from North Korean missiles. It will also protect key industrial facilities, including nuclear power plants and oil depots, the ministry added.
US military bases in the South will also be protected by the missile system, but Seoul and its surrounding areas will be left out. This could mean the military deploying more US Patriot anti-air and missile defence systems in these areas, Yonhap news agency reported.
There have been protests about the system's location, with residents fearing harmful economic and environmental effects.
"We hope the people and residents in Seongju... render support" for the decision, the ministry said in a statement.
But thousands took to the streets Wednesday in Seongju town, carrying banners reading "We absolutely oppose THAAD deployment", Yonhap news agency reported.
The head of the county Kim Hang-Gon and some 10 others staged a hunger strike, cut their fingers and wrote slogans in blood on banners at the Wednesday's rally.
"The THAAD deployment threatens the livelihood of the country's 45,000 residents, 60 percent of whom are engaged in watermelon agriculture", a group against the deployment said in a statement.
North Korea threatened Monday to take "physical action" against the planned deployment of the powerful anti-missile system.
The move has also angered Beijing and Moscow, which both see it as a US bid to boost military might in the region. China on Friday said the move would "seriously damage" regional security in northeast Asia.
The US and South Korea began talks on deploying the THAAD system to the Korean peninsula in February after the North fired a long-range rocket.
South Korean authorities have scrambled to allay fears over possible trade retaliations from its largest trading partner China.
Finance Minister Yoo Il-Ho told the National Assembly Wednesday he believed China will separate politics from economic affairs and is not likely to hit the South with economic sanctions over missile system deployment.
| . |
|
|
Tweet |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
