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Merge: charon (04/26 20:43 GMT)
U.S. Begins Installing Missile Defense System in South Korea
The U.S. has begun the installation [bbc.com] of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense [wikipedia.org] missiles system:
The US military has started installing a controversial missile defence system at a site in South Korea, amid high tensions over neighbouring North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions. The Thaad system is designed to protect against threats from North Korea.
Hundreds of local residents protested against the deployment, as vehicles carrying equipment arrived at the site in the south of the country. China argues Thaad will destabilise security in the region. The US has in recent days deployed warships and a submarine [bbc.co.uk] to the Korean peninsula, amid fears North Korea could be planning further missile or nuclear tests.
FireEye recently claimed that China is attempting to hack South Korean targets [theregister.co.uk] to delay the deployment of THAAD.
U.S. Moves Anti-missile Kit to S. Korea
Reuters reports that the United States has transported components of the THAAD [wikipedia.org] anti-missile system to the site chosen for it in South Korea, amid protests,
[...] and was denounced by the frontrunner in South Korea's presidential election on May 9.
A spokesman for Moon Jae-in said the decision "ignored public opinion and due process" and demanded the deployment be suspended until the next administration was in place and had made its policy decision.
China has expressed opposition to deployment of the system. AFP via Yahoo! reports [yahoo.com] that
The South's tourist industry has been hammered by Beijing's boycott over THAAD, with Chinese visitor numbers -- normally more than half the total -- plummeting 40 percent last month even though the ban only came into force on March 15.
Retail conglomerate Lotte -- which provided the Seongju golf course site to the Seoul government -- has also been targeted, with 85 of its 99 stores in China shut down.
additional coverage:
- Bloomberg [bloomberg.com]
- Korea Herald [koreaherald.com]
- VOA News [voanews.com] (U.S. government outlet)
- AFP via inquirer.net [inquirer.net]
previous stories:
International Relations Strained over S. Korean Anti-missile Plans [soylentnews.org]
G20 Summit Roundup [soylentnews.org]
South Korea to Receive U.S. Anti-Missile Interceptor System [soylentnews.org]
