Push to deploy THAAD sparks protests

Voter support

Conservative politicians tended to welcome or even boost tensions with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to boost voter support.

An early presidential election is scheduled for May 9 as former president Park Geun-hye was impeached in March.

The Soseong-ri villagers demanded an immediate removal of the THAAD, which was installed without the consent or parliamentary discussions. They have vowed to continue their anti-THAAD rallies, which began with the announcement in July of the THAAD deployment decision.

An election campaign office for Moon Jae-in of the biggest Minjoo Party expressed strong regrets over the THAAD deployment, reiterating Moon's position that the final decision on THAAD must be made by next government, according to sufficient discussions and public consensus.

The front-runner's camp said the government and the Defense Ministry must make clear what roles they played in the THAAD deployment, urging the installation to be stopped.

The spokesman for Ahn Cheol-soo of the center-right People's Party also expressed regrets, saying the installation should have been pushed without tussles with residents and according to procedures. Ahn is a runner-up to Moon in recent opinion polls.