S. Korean residents, peace activists demand complete retreat of THAAD

SEOUL - South Korean residents and peace activists on Thursday demanded the complete retreat of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interception system from their country.

Dozens of people gathered outside the government complex in central Seoul, just 1-2 km away from the presidential Blue House, to call for the new government to pave the way for the complete retreat of the US missile shield.

The protesters were composed of residents living near the THAAD deployment site and civic group activists who continued to conduct anti-THAAD demonstrations together with the residents.

They told a press conference that the new government must stop all activities relevant to the THAAD deployment, urging it to open the way for the reversal of the THAAD installation by thoroughly investigating and reviewing the deployment process from the starting point.

The demonstrators held posters that read "Look thoroughly into the illegal THAAD that does no good but harm," and "Reverse the THAAD deployment decision."

The protest rally came a day after a senior Blue House official said that the already installed THAAD elements will inevitably remain though the deployment of four more mobile launchers will be halted until a green audit ends.

Around two weeks before the country's presidential by-election on May 9, part of the THAAD elements, including radar and two mobile launchers, were transported in the middle of night to a golf course at Soseong-ri village in Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province.

Four more THAAD launchers were delivered to an unidentified US military base in South Korea, but the delivery was not reported to President Moon Jae-in who took office on May 10.