--- title: South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Deployment Amid Tensions description: Protesters in the South Korean town of Seongju have clashed with police over installation of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system. canonical: https://time.com/4755310/south-korea-protest-thaad-missile/ author: Joseph Hincks article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-26T05:51:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T08:55:53.000Z article:section: World og:title: South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Deployment Amid Tensions og:description: At least 10 protesters have been injured in clashes with police og:url: https://time.com/4755310/south-korea-protest-thaad-missile/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb19ed9ebfc32e53a/6988caab0a4a22ca219cde1d/rts13x2v.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A U.S. military vehicle which is a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system arrives in Seongju og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Deployment Amid Tensions twitter:description: At least 10 protesters have been injured in clashes with police twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb19ed9ebfc32e53a/6988caab0a4a22ca219cde1d/rts13x2v.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Installation as Tensions Escalate on the Peninsula by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:55 AM CUTPublished: Apr 26, 2017 5:51 AM CUT  A U.S. military vehicle which is a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system arrives in Seongju, South Korea, April 26, 2017. A U.S. military vehicle which is a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system arrives in Seongju, South Korea, April 26, 2017.Stringer—REUTERS by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:55 AM CUTPublished: Apr 26, 2017 5:51 AM CUT Hundreds of protesters in the South Korean town of Seongju clashed with police Tuesday night as trailers carrying components of the U.S. advanced missile defense system known as THAAD rolled through en route to a nearby installation site. U.S. troops in South Korea have begun installing equipment for the controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), which enhances South Korea’s capacity to intercept ballistic missiles, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency [reports](http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2017/04/26/0301000000AEN20170426000653315.html "undefined"). Six trailers were reportedly seen carrying parts of the system’s long-range X-band radar, along with other components of the system. “We are working with the ROK (South Korea) to complete the deployment of THAAD, a defensive weapons system, to the ROK as soon as feasible,” the Pentagon stated to Yonhap. Reuters [quoted](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-usa-thaad-idUSKBN17R2VA "undefined") South Korea’s defense ministry as saying that elements of THAAD had been moved to the site “in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threat.” Protesters in the quiet town of [Seongju](http://time.com/4407575/south-korea-thaad-seongju-kim-jong-un-sanctions-china-beijing-north-korea/ "undefined") reportedly carried signs reading, “No THAAD, No War” and “Hey, U.S.! Are you friends or occupying troops?” Kim Jong-kyung, co-head of a group of villagers protesting the THAAD deployment, told Reuters that more than ten people had been injured in clashes with police and some had suffered broken bones. Daniel Pinkston, Northeast Asia deputy project director at the International Crisis Group in Seoul, tells TIME that while much of the local opposition to the installation of THAAD could be attributed to parochial concerns, the presence of non-locals at the demonstrations indicates “concerns about the THAAD battery and how it will affect national security, regional security, and regional stability.” Pinkston, however, described the installation as prudent. He called the missile defense system “one tool in a basket of instruments,” U.S. military strategists would have at their disposal to “alter the calculus of North Korean leadership” as they seek to maintain the Korean Armistice Agreement and their bilateral defense treaty agreements. Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have escalated in recent weeks: the U.S. has deployed an aircraft carrier group and nuclear submarines to the region amid fresh missile test attempts by North Korea. The 85th founding anniversary of North Korea’s military on Tuesday also saw dictator Kim Jong Un preside over the country’s “largest-ever” live-fire drill. South Korea’s decision to accelerate the deployment of THAAD has been both divisive domestically and strained Seoul’s relationship with Beijing, which regards THAAD’s powerful radar as a security and surveillance threat. [South Korean companies](http://time.com/4734066/south-korea-tourism-china-thaad/ "undefined") operating in China have been hit by consumer boycotts over the issue. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4755310/south-korea-protest-thaad-missile/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4755310/south-korea-protest-thaad-missile/"},"headline":"South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Installation as Tensions Escalate on the Peninsula","datePublished":"2017-04-26T05:51:32.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T08:55:53.000Z","description":"At least 10 protesters have been injured in clashes with police","url":"https://time.com/4755310/south-korea-protest-thaad-missile/","keywords":["Korean Peninsula","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb19ed9ebfc32e53a/6988caab0a4a22ca219cde1d/rts13x2v.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joseph Hincks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/joseph-hincks/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb19ed9ebfc32e53a/6988caab0a4a22ca219cde1d/rts13x2v.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A U.S. military vehicle which is a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system arrives in Seongju","caption":"A U.S. military vehicle which is a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system arrives in Seongju","creditText":"Stringer—REUTERS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/korean-peninsula/","name":"Korean Peninsula"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4755310/south-korea-protest-thaad-missile/","name":"South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Installation as Tensions Escalate on the Peninsula"}}]}] ```