The Defense Ministry said Monday it will review alternative sites for the deployment of the advanced US missile defense system in Seongju, upon the county’s official request for a reconsideration earlier in the day.

“We will closely cooperate with the municipality to evaluate alternative locations currently being discussed at an imminent future,” the ministry said.

It added that the review, however, does not mean an immediate withdrawal of the original decision to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the disputed location of Seongsan artillery base. “That decision remains intact until the evaluation results on the alternative site are released.”

The position came hours after Seongju County Gov. Kim Hang-gon held a press conference and requested the ministry to decide on a site other than the Seongsan artillery base in Seongsan-ri, Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province to deploy THAAD.

“Even in the latest poll and (throughout) the discussion among the county residents, the majority wish for an alternative site if (THAAD) must be deployed (in our county),” Kim said in his statement.

“Due to the Defense Ministry’s unilateral THAAD deployment decision, the peaceful lives of the residents have deteriorated, and the local economy has been slashed in half … But an extreme opposition without an alternative cannot be a fundamental solution for the crisis,” he added.

Adding that the people and the state need security to exist, Kim said that a “blind” opposition to the nation’s security would only lead to a catastrophe.

Seongju residents have opposed the government’s decision to install THAAD at the base citing potential health and environmental impact due to its powerful electromagnetic waves from the radars. Some 20,000 reside within the 1.5 kilometer radius from the base.

The protest has been vehement, with Kim shaving his head last week, and the members of a committee dealing with the deployment issue physically blocking visits by top-ranking government officials including Defense Minister Han Min-koo. Hundreds of residents have also traveled to Seoul to lodge their protest earlier this month.

A number of progressive figures including opposition lawmakers and opinion leaders have joined their move.

The opposition, however, has also been multifaceted, with some protesting any deployment of THAAD in any part of the country questioning the efficacy of the anti-missile system in protecting the South, namely the most populated capital region, and warning of diplomatic fallout with China and Russia.

Some, on the other hand, have agreed to the need for the layered missile defense by bringing in THAAD in light of escalating military provocation by North Korea which has fired off numerous ballistic missiles, some in sharper angles to demonstrate its capability to strike South Korea. They instead question the location selection or the unilateral way the deployment decision has been made.

The alternative site reportedly being considered is a golf course located in Chojeon-myeon in Seongju. It is some 18 kilometers North off the Seongju county office and takes about 20 to 30 minutes by car.

The location is 680 meters above sea level, which is higher than the Seongsan base at 383 meters above sea level.

The course spans some 1.78 million square meters including 820,000 square meters of land that remains vacant for further development. Observers have said the golf course can minimize the debate over any health risk from the THAAD radars’ electromagnetic waves as it is in a remote area.

The infrastructure of the course that already exists would also make the construction easier, they have pointed out. THAAD is to be deployed by the end of next year based on the agreement between Seoul and Washington.

Defense Ministry officials including Ryu Jae-seung, head of the ministry’s planning, have already paid a visit to the area for possible review.

Kim Hang-gon, in his speech, also sought for the residents’ support for what he called was a “lonely decision.”

Kim was supported by Rep. Lee Wan-yong of the Saenuri Party representing Seongju, Goryeong, Seongju and Chilgok, in a separate news conference.

“I appreciate the decision by Governor Kim Hang-gon and will work to gather cooperation.”

But Kim’s news conference also prompted a scuffle between dissenting residents and police.

The group, who continue to call for a complete withdrawal of the deployment plan from their area, told a press conference that Kim’s statement was invalid as it “ran counter” to the wishes of the residents.

They vowed to newly form a committee and pick a new leader to continue fighting the THAAD deployment.

Amid persisting protest from the residents of Seongju that has been part of the political stronghold for the ruling camp, President Park Geun-hye took a step back last month and suggested considering an alternative site for the deployment, although it would still be within Seongju.

Behind the alternative location, however, looms another round of protests as residents living near the golf course have begun protesting the possible site change.

They include residents of Gimcheon, where a total of 5,120 households reside, that is 7 kilometers away from the golf course.

Some 700 Gimcheon residents held a candlelight vigil protesting THAAD on Saturday night.

The golf course is privately-owned. Among the things to be clarified for a relocation would be how to purchase the site and whether it would come from state coffers that may require parliamentary approval.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)