Evaluation of 21 THAAD Base Items to Begin Soon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense disclosed on the 7th the evaluation items and scope related to the environmental impact assessment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base of the US Forces Korea located in Seongju, Gyeongbuk. Additionally, they plan to draft the environmental impact assessment report by early next year at the latest and aim to complete the process by the first half of next year, accelerating the full operational normalization of the THAAD base.

The Ministry of National Defense publicly released online the evaluation items and scope decided by the environmental impact assessment council for the THAAD base held on the 19th of last month. According to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the council’s decision on evaluation items and scope is a procedure that determines the necessary items and their scope among the 21 items in six general environmental impact assessment fields, which critically affects the tasks and duration of the environmental impact assessment.

The environmental impact assessment for the Seongju THAAD base (Environmental Impact Assessment for Area 17Gong-A) disclosed online targets an area of 211,000 square meters at San 51-3, Soseong-ri, Chojeon-myeon, Seongju-gun.

The US Forces Korea Commander is the project implementer, and the approval and consultation agencies correspond to the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Environment, respectively. According to the council’s decision, 11 items were selected as key evaluation items: air quality, greenhouse gases, water quality/hydrology/hydraulics, land use, soil, topography/geology, flora and fauna, noise/vibration, eco-friendly resource circulation, and electromagnetic interference.

The electromagnetic wave status survey, which residents are particularly concerned about, will be conducted under the electromagnetic interference item. In addition to the four points where periodic measurements have been conducted (Wolmyeong-ri, Nogok-ri, Gimcheon-Gumi Station, Korea Transportation Safety Authority), Wolgok-ri in Seongju-gun was included. The council stated in the notification letter, "Electromagnetic waves will be monitored continuously by installing monitoring equipment after gathering residents’ opinions," and "Electromagnetic waves will be included in the electromagnetic interference item, and the latest monitoring results measured by accredited institutions will be presented." Accredited institutions are expected to be the Korea Radio Promotion Association or radio management offices.

A Ministry of National Defense official explained, "To dispel residents’ concerns about electromagnetic waves, we plan to install equipment that measures 24 hours a day during the evaluation period and also shows real-time measurement results after the evaluation is completed." Meteorology, natural environmental assets, and recreation/scenery were classified as general items. Among the 21 detailed items of the general environmental impact assessment, seven items including odor, marine environment, hygiene/public health, sunlight obstruction, population, housing, and industry were excluded due to low relevance. Since general environmental impact assessments must evaluate seasonal effects, they usually take more than a year. However, the Ministry of National Defense intends to complete this process in the shortest possible time.

After the environmental impact assessment council reviewed the evaluation items on the 19th of last month, the assessment began immediately. The Ministry of National Defense explained that since there are environmental impact assessment data from the golf course construction and small-scale environmental impact assessment data conducted just before the temporary deployment of THAAD, as well as accumulated data thereafter, the evaluation period can be shortened.

A Ministry of National Defense official said, "We expect to secure data from summer to winter by the end of the year," adding, "Our goal is to draft the evaluation report by the end of this year or early next year at the latest." Once the draft report is prepared, the evaluation will be completed after public viewing by residents, residents’ briefings and public hearings, and consultations with the consultation agencies. The Ministry of National Defense also plans to proceed with the procedure to grant the base land to the US military as early as this month.

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