South Korea's environment ministry on Monday granted a conditional green light to the initial assessment of an environmental impact on the site of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), allowing construction works at the site and even the attempt to deploy four more launchers.
Vice Environment Minister Ahn Byung-ok told a press briefing that the ministry notified the defense ministry of its conditional approval to the small-scale green audit, which was launched from late last year under the previous Park Geun-hye government.
The environment ministry review reached a conclusion that the U.S. missile shield would have a slight influence on human body and environment, but it attached conditions to the approval to help residents accept the deployment decision and increase transparency.
The environmental damage was one of the reasons residents and peace activists have opposed the THAAD installation at the former golf course in Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province.
The attached conditions include the regular measurement of electromagnetic wave, the permission of residents or experts recommended by the residents to participate in the measurement and the real-time disclosure of the result from the measurement.
It remained uncertain whether the residents and peace activists, who have blocked the entrance to the golf course in the country's southeastern region and have held anti-THAAD rally every night for over a year, would accept the small-scale environmental evaluation result.
The THAAD's X-band radar is known to emit super-microwave that is detrimental to human body and environment. A THAAD battery is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, the AN/TPY-2 radar and the fire and control unit.
Though the ministry claimed the THAAD's environmental harm would be slight, residents and activists believed that the measurement by the government officials was conducted when the radar was not in a full operation.
Other conditions attached to the green audit review were the construction of electricity facilities inside the THAAD site to minimize noise from electric generators powering the radar.
The AN/TPY-2 radar, which consumes a great deal of electricity, was partially in operation as no construction works for power facilities were allowed. Residents have blocked any construction equipment from entering the golf course.
The defense ministry said in a statement that it would permit the U.S. side to build facilities inside the golf course for the temporary operation of the already deployed THAAD elements.
On April 26, two mobile launchers and other THAAD elements were transported in the middle of night to the site, causing a physical conflict between riot police and residents.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered the temporary installation of the remaining THAAD launchers following Pyongyang's test in late July of what it called an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The villagers have demanded a "strategic" green audit, which requires the withdrawal of the already installed THAAD elements and evaluates whether to deploy the U.S. anti-missile system from the very beginning.
President Moon ordered a "general" environmental impact assessment, under which the already deployed elements would stay in place and the final decision would be made after the general green audit ends.
Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun told a press briefing that the ministry would observe the democratic, procedural legitimacy in relation to the THAAD deployment, declining to elaborate further.
The government said it would notify residents of the further deployment date at least one day before moving the four more launchers to the THAAD site.
Residents and peace activists blocking the entrance to the THAAD site already launched an emergency alert mode by themselves to block four more launchers from being delivered to the golf course.
