South Korea says the U.S. military will begin adding more launchers to a contentious high-tech U.S. missile defense system in South Korea on Thursday to better cope with North Korean threats.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that four launchers and construction equipment will be moved to the former golf course where the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system has been set up.
A THAAD battery normally consists of six launchers, but only two have been operational so far at the site in rural Seongju.
The placing of additional THAAD launchers will likely trigger an angry response from area residents and activists who have opposed the system.
They have raised worries over rumored health hazards linked to the system’s powerful radar and the possibility that the town will become a target of North Korean attacks.