S Koreans protest US missile defence system

SEOUL — Thousands of protesters marched near the US embassy in Seoul on Saturday, accusing President Donald Trump of “forcing” South Korea to deploy a controversial American missile defence system opposed by China.

The protest came as South Korea’s new president Moon Jae-In heads to Washington next week for his first summit with Trump amid soaring tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

Around 4 000 people participated in the demonstration, the largest since South Korea and the United States agreed to deploy the system, known as Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD).

Protesters carried placards that read: “Trump stop forcing [South Korea] to deploy THAAD” and “No THAAD, No Trump”.

The crowd included residents from the south-eastern county of Seongju where the system is being deployed who say it poses health and environmental hazards and argue that its presence could make them a priority target for North Korea.

THAAD was approved by Moon’s ousted predecessor, conservative president Park Geun-Hye, who then steamrollered the project through a hasty environmental review during her last months in office as she became ensnared in a massive corruption scandal.

The deployment has also been opposed by Beijing, which fears it could undermine its own nuclear deterrent and has reacted with fury, imposing a series of measures seen as economic retaliation on the South.

Though parts of system are already in place, Moon this month suspended further deployment. — AFP