Submitted by Stock Board Asset
South Koreans clashed with police ahead of the deployment of four more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems in southern South Korea. Per Yonhapnews, the clash occurred as police were trying to disperse about 400 residents from their community center near the U.S. missile defense base in Seongju, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul.
Residents of the South Korean province of Gyeongsangbuk-do have taken to the streets, objecting to the local installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Hundreds of protesters confronted police, the Yonhap news reported.
Twitter users showed protesters clashing with police.
Clashes in #SouthKorea between police and protesters that try to block the military convoy delivering a THAAD missile system to #Seongju. pic.twitter.com/2v2Gr4Dd4i
— Guido Mastrangelo (@GuidoGma) September 6, 2017
Scuffles breaking out between protestors and police.
Protesters and police scuffle in Seongju over THAAD deployment in South Korea
LIVE NOW: https://t.co/1DUrf0nRU9 pic.twitter.com/45E8b5IUWp
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) September 6, 2017
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system the can intercept and destroy short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles.
How the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system works.
Per The Telegraph,
Seoul initially approached the Pentagon about the capabilities and cost of THAAD in October 2013, but later decided to develop its own long-range, surface-to-air missile. The crisis on the Korean Peninsula has deepened far more rapidly than Seoul anticipated, however, and the US and South Korean defence ministries agreed in July 2016 that THAAD would need to be deployed by the end of the following year.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry demands an ‘immediate stop’ to THAAD deployment across South Korea. Some reports say THAAD’s radar can be used to monitor the movements of the Chinese military.
#Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterates its opposition, demands "immediate stop" to #THAAD deployment in #ROK https://t.co/yqj7Kr22RP pic.twitter.com/ONlNVnyU2D
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) September 6, 2017
China has imposed a number of undeclared economic sanctions on South Korea, including banning domestic travel agents from selling tours to South Korea. South Korea’s Hyundai Motor said it had suspended production at one of its China factories on Tuesday after a supplier refused to provide parts due to delays in payment - its second such incident in as many weeks. According to Reuters, frayed relations with suppliers to its venture with BAIC Motor Corp Ltd are adding to headaches for Hyundai in China, where it has seen sales slump due to diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Beijing insists, however, that the measures are not sanctions and are unconnected to the THAAD dispute.
Conclusion: As the Eastern hemisphere positions for war on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean citizens make a last ditch effort in the form of a protest to stop the military build up by the United States in their country.