I think the key word in this article is “temporary”. What is temporary about the THAAD deployment to South Korea? Are North Korea’s missile going to magically disappear one day to where South Korea will no longer need the THAAD battery?:
Seongju residents gather on Aug. 30 after receiving letters from the Defense Ministry concerning the proposed deployment of four additional THAAD missile launchers. The sign is calling for those opposed to THAAD missile deployment to come to Soseong-ri, Seongju, North Gyeongsan Province on the day that the launchers are to be installed. (Provided by the Committee Opposed to THAAD Deployment)
Groups opposing the THAAD deployment are up in arms after revelations that Minister of Defense Song Young-moon sent a letter to Seongju and Gimcheon residents asking them for their “understanding” on the antimissile system’s temporary deployment. Groups working to oppose the THAAD deployment reported on Aug. 30 that Ministry of Defense officials, including active colonels and lieutenant colonels in the military, had traveled to the homes of around 20 people on Aug. 23–25 to deliver the letter from Song. The homes included those of the leaders of seven villages in the Seongju and Gimcheon areas, as well as the chairs of senior citizens’ and women’s associations, the groups said.
The letter stated that the temporary THAAD deployment was “unavoidable for a priority response to the North Korean threat.” “A temporary deployment means temporarily installing THAAD in open terrain with minimal preparations based on a small-scale environmental impact assessment, as opposed to completing the deployment after a general environmental impact assessment and the building of a permanently infrastructure,” it explained. [Hankyoreh]
It will be interesting to see if the protesters allow the additional THAAD equipment on to the site considering the blockade they have been maintaining. Will the Moon administration be willing to send in police to forcibly remove grandmas and grandpas off of the road? We are about to find out:
South Korea is poised to complete the installment of a US missile shield next week, officials said Friday, despite unabated controversy over the Moon Jae-in government’s flip-flopping on the timing of the deployment.
The stationing of the remaining four launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system comes as the Environment Ministry wraps up a small-scale environmental review. The equipment will join the already operational two launchers, radar and other assets to form a full-fledged battery.
The move will also coincide with a maiden face-to-face meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, set for Wednesday in Washington.
“Currently a small-scale environmental impact assessment is under way, and I can’t say it for certain, but the results are likely to come out around Monday,” a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters on customary condition of anonymity.
The Ministry of National Defense echoed the view, saying the four launchers and related apparatus will be brought to the site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, as soon as the survey is finished. [Korea Herald]
Participants call for the government to stop rice imports during a rally of female farmers from across the nation in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on Aug. 23, 2017. (Yonhap)
A group of people stage a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Aug. 22, 2017, to oppose the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) joint military drill with the United States. (Yonhap)
My guess would be this apology must be something the ROK government recommended to USFK to do in order to get the protesters to stop blockading the road considering it is happening four months after the fact. I guess we will see if this will help lead to the end of the blockade:
Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal, commander of the 8th U.S. Army, apologized Sunday to the people of Seongju over one of his soldiers using a smartphone to film a protest involving physical clashes, smiling as he did so.
The Seongju residents rejected Vandal’s apology, saying it was four months too late.
First, Vandal and his superior officer, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, should find a better way of dealing with this incident. The protesters should stop using the apology issue for political purposes.
The incident happened in the early hours of April 26 when a convoy of U.S. military vehicles pushed their way through to deliver equipment for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, a U.S. missile interceptor, to the site in the vicinity. Twelve people were injured. A GI in one vehicle was caught filming the scene with a snigger on his face.
For that, Vandal went down to Seongju and bowed at a press conference after the residents refused to meet him. He said the soldier’s behavior was inappropriate and that he was fresh on his Korean tour and had not finished his orientation program.
The residents questioned Vandal’s sincerity because his apology came four months after the incident, despite repeated demands. The residents claimed they felt ignored by Vandal.
Vandal should have apologized earlier. The USFK is often belated in dealing with accidents in relation to Koreans. One example is the 2002 Yangju Highway Incident where a U.S. military vehicle crushed two Korean girls to death. Then, the USFK dragged its feet, letting the incident grow out of proportion in a major PR fiasco. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but the Korea Times in regards to the 2002 Yangju Highway Incident do not know what they are talking about. Both the 8th Army commander and the 2nd Infantry Division commander apologized after the accident happened. 2ID even paid an initial $1,000 payment to the families to assist with funeral expenses. Then 2ID soldiers held a candlelight vigil and fundraising drive in honor of the two girls that were tragically killed. The fundraiser raised $22,000 for the families.
Finally the USFK commander put the soldiers on court martial strictly for PR purposes despite this being a clear accident. Anyway much more about the 2002 accident can be read at the below link:
Residents stage a protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Aug. 12, 2017. (Yonhap)
You can read more at the link, but some people actually thought this idiot was in the 82nd Airborne. Here is the 82nd’s Twitter response to this guy wearing an 82nd Airborne hat:
Note to all racists out there, if you are going to spew your hatred don’t drag the US military into it by wearing its gear. If anything these racists should dislike the US military considering how it is in my opinion the most merit based organization in the US where someone of any race through performance can rise to the top.
I think no matter what the government does these protesters will never be happy because this is not about environmental concerns, but instead a not in my backyard mentality:
Officials from the defense and environment ministries measure electromagnetic radiation and noise from the site of the THAAD deployment in Seongju, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 12, 2017, as part of the environmental survey on the controversial U.S. missile defense system. (Yonhap)
Local residents and activists campaigning against the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system said Sunday they will not accept the outcome of a government survey that ruled out the possibility of its serious environmental damage.
On Saturday, the government announced the result of a survey of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The defense ministry said the radiation level was far below the regulatory protection standard and the noise level in the residential areas is also on par with the maximum regulatory threshold.
Seongju residents and civic groups denounced those findings, saying it is not credible since the test was only done by the government and without any experts from the private sector.
“There was no one in the assessment team that we recommended, and it is not acceptable since it’s not a full test but a very partial one done to wrap up the whole process, which is illegal,” said Lee Seok-ju, a representative of the Seongju residents. [Yonhap]
British peace activist Lindis Percy (L) speaks during a protest rally in front of a naval base on the southernmost resort island of Jeju on July 7, 2017. Defying strong opposition from villagers and conservationists, South Korea completed the base in February 2016. (Yonhap)
Thousands of members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) stage a rally at Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul on June 30, 2017, demanding the government raise the minimum wage and employ all nonregular workers as regular employees. (Yonhap)
