THAAD Base Vehicle Access to Begin Regularly as Early as This Week

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It is expected that vehicles will be able to access the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) base of the US Forces Korea in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, on a regular basis starting as early as this weekend.

On the 31st, a military official stated, "The military is conducting necessary consultations with the US side and the police to normalize ground access, and it is expected that ground access will be possible seven days a week starting as early as this weekend."

Since THAAD was temporarily deployed in 2017, ground transportation of supplies has not been freely conducted due to opposition from Seongju residents and others during the Moon Jae-in administration, forcing unit members to live in containers and other temporary facilities.

In the early stages of the temporary deployment, supplies were airlifted by helicopter as protesters, including residents, blocked ground access. However, under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s intention to normalize operations, ground access has increased to five days a week (five times).

The government plans to first expand ground access to seven days a week and ultimately allow completely unrestricted entry and exit. To this end, the US military is preparing for ground fuel transportation, and the police are reportedly preparing operations to guarantee ground access.

An evaluation council for the general environmental impact assessment procedure, which must be completed for the normal deployment of the THAAD battery, was also formed on the 19th of this month. The land provision is expected to be finalized by next month. However, large-scale protests are being prepared in opposition to the government’s normalization of ground access and land provision, raising concerns about possible physical clashes. It is reported that a Wonbulgyo religious group has notified the police of a rally expected to gather hundreds of people this weekend.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.