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By Kim Hyo-jin
The U.S. military will open its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in Guam to the South Korean media next week in an effort to dispel concerns here over deployment of the anti-missile system, according to military sources, Wednesday.
"The U.S. Army will open its THAAD facilities in Guam to South Korean journalists from July 17 to 19," a military official said. "It will help them understand how the battery is operated and address any concerns about safety issues."
It is the first time the U.S. Army has allowed foreign media access to the THAAD facilities, according to the official.
The South Korean military said journalists from seven outlets, including Hankyoreh and the Chosun Ilbo, will visit the base.
The move is seen as an attempt to quell controversy in South Korea over a THAAD deployment and ease public concerns over potentially harmful electromagnetic waves from the X-band radar that comes with the system.
The South Korean defense ministry asked U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to allow the visit after calls from South Korean reporters, and the USFK soon approved it, the official said.
"The U.S. stepped up helping settle mounting controversies over safety concerns over the battery with this decision," he said.
The defense ministry also said it plans to open media access to a patriot missile base near Seoul and a green pine radar base in Chungcheong Province.
"Questions over harmful effects of electromagnetic waves emitted from THAAD's X-band radar have been raised," a defense ministry official said. "But they are no stronger than patriot or green pine radar. We are hoping to ease safety concerns surrounding the THAAD system."
But some say the defense ministry is responding too hastily to public discontent with the government's decision.
"Those bases require top security," said Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the Justice Party. "It's understandable if the ministry decides to open them for the people's right to know but it still seems to be a hasty decision only concerning the urgency of deploying the battery here."
