US to deploy THAAD in Republic of Korea - Constitutional Court rejects petition to ban deployment of missile defence system

The United States and the Republic of Korea are one step closer to the full deployment of the THAAD missile defence system in the Asian country. The battery will be deployed 214 kilometres from Seoul.

Here's What We Know

In February 2022, a group of 392 people petitioned to ban the deployment of the THAAD system in the country. The protesters believed some clauses in the Status of Forces Agreement were unconstitutional. However, the Constitutional Court rejected the petition this week, stating that it did not contain the prerequisites for legal action.

The missile defence deployment plan was approved on 20 April 2017. According to the document, the THAAD battery will be deployed in an area previously used as a golf course. This decision sparked protests from some local residents and anti-war activists.

Later in 2017, the protesters filed an administrative lawsuit demanding that the foreign minister revoke the land grant. The suit was rejected by the local and appellate courts. Already in 2023, the Supreme Court said the case could not be the subject of administrative proceedings.

Source: Yonhap