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By Lee Kyung-min
Residents in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, and civic groups continued Thursday to denounce the overnight operation to transport a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to its deployment site a day earlier.
"The clandestine work to transport some of the anti-missile defense system here pushed ahead by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) overnight is nothing short of subjecting us to military martial law," they said.
"The government has mobilized forces to railroad its unilateral decision, against which we have every right to protest. This shows it has absolutely no regard for the residents whose lives are directly affected by such a political decision," they added.
The groups vowed to continue to hold rallies until the anti-missile system is withdrawn.
The response followed the transport in the early hours Wednesday of an AN/TPY-2 X-Band radar, mobile launchers and other equipment needed to set up the THAAD unit to a former golf course in Seongju.
The land, previously owned by Lotte Group, was secured by the USFK following an agreement, April 20.
Shortly before the equipment began arriving at the site, more than 8,000 police officers wearing heavy protective gear and holding shields were mobilized between 4:50 a.m. until around 7:50 a.m. to respond to any potential physical clashes.
Following this, at least 12 protestors were transferred to a nearby hospital, most of them sustaining non-life threatening injuries such as broken wrists, ribs and bruises.
Hours later, more than 400 protestors marched from a community center in Seongju to the entrance to the golf course. They said they would soon visit the Ministry of Defense in Yongsan, Seoul.
Civic groups also issued statements denouncing the surprise decision "carried out in a fashion that was far from dignified."
"Nothing shows the government's desperation and illegitimacy more than the time the equipment was transported, which was before dawn," the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said in the statement.
"Also, the government is putting the lives and safety of Seongju residents at risk by further escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the equipment and an apology from the government for resorting to a violent crackdown instead of listening to the concerns of the people," it added.
Protestors organized by the umbrella union group plan to hold a rally at Gwanghwamun Square, downtown Seoul, Saturday, to demand the prompt withdrawal of the anti-missile system.
A civic group based in Busan and South Jeolla Province also denounced what they called an "undemocratic" process.
"Deploying the THAAD battery was not at all approved by the residents, nor was any consensus reached at the National Assembly. The whole process is the definition of a total disregard of democratic principles," the group said in a statement.
"This is a total regression and betrayal of the people whose primary demand during the candlelit protests was that the government upholds their will," they added.
Meanwhile, the overnight protest came three weeks after a total of 2,550 people including residents of the county and regions nearby filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, April 6.
They claimed the deployment of the THAAD battery infringed on their right to pursue happiness, and lead healthy, peaceful and environmentally safe lives.
