Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn visited the town of Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, after residents voiced strong opposition to the government’s decision Friday to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system in the area.

The trip, accompanied by Defense Minister Han Min-koo, is seen as a move to alleviate concerns that residents may have about the health issues related to the missile system’s powerful radar and address questions about the fairness of the government’s decision-making process.

“I would like to apologize for making the decision without prior notice,” 

Hwang said during his visit, adding that the government would make efforts to ease residents’ safety concerns.

During his visit, however, protesters threw water bottles and eggs at Hwang.

Residents of the town began protesting this week after the government announced it would deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense there.

“The government will inspect THAAD thoroughly to guarantee its safety,” the prime minister said. “We will also gather the residents’ opinions on the placement of the battery.”

Hwang added the government would not deploy THAAD if the “slightest risks” were apparent in regards to safety issues. 

But he pointed out that North Korea was constantly making nuclear threats and that under such circumstances the government had no choice but to take countermeasures to protect the country and safeguard its people.
Seoul and Washington decided to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea last week.

While the government and conservatives claim THAAD is necessary to better deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats, the country’s opposition parties and progressive elements have expressed reservations over potential diplomatic conflicts with China and Russia.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Unification issued separate statements warning that Seoul will not tolerate continued verbal attacks and other provocative acts by the North.
 
The warnings come a day after North Korea condemned the decision to deploy the THAAD system, and call South Korean President Park Geun-hye a “rare traitor” and a “war servant” obsessed with confrontation with the North. 

In a statement issued by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK, the North’s state committee on inter-Korean affairs, North Korea said, “(Park) must not forget even a moment that the DPRK’s nuclear force for self-defense will be further bolstered in quality and quantity and the merciless sword of justice will cut off her windpipe no matter how desperately she may try to stifle the compatriots in the North by clinging to the coattails of foreign forces.” The DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name. 

Pyongyang also accused Seoul of turning the Korean Peninsula into a “theater of nuclear war” with its decision to allow to station the THAAD system.

The ministries then said Seoul’s decision to deploy THAAD is a self-defensive measure aimed at safeguarding the country’s security. 

“If North Korea continues its verbal attacks and other provocative acts, we will take a zero tolerance approach,” Na Seng-yong, the spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said. He pointed out that the North should not forget that Seoul’s decision on THAAD is directly linked to Pyongyang’s development of weapons of mass destruction.

The Unification Ministry said that it strongly “condemns (the North) for vulgarly slandering our leader and uttering unjustified accusations with the foul aim of creating division in our society.” 

A poll showed Friday that around half of South Koreans support the deployment of THAAD in the country.

According to a survey conducted by local pollster Gallup Korea this week, 50 percent of the 1,004 respondents were in favor of the deployment of THAAD.

The portion of dissenters stood at 32 percent.

Among the supporters of the ruling Saenuri Party, 74 percent of the respondents approved the deployment.

In contrast, 50 percent of the followers of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea expressed discontent against the move. The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea currently has a neutral stance on the plan, although some of its lawmakers have voiced their opposition.

Supporters of the THAAD deployment mostly claimed that it will improve national security and safety, while opponents said the missile shield may be effective but it could adversely impact Seoul’s relationship with China and Russia.

Nearly half of respondents said they were willing to host the THAAD system in their neighborhood, while 39 percent said they would oppose the move.
The government said earlier that the THAAD system will be stationed in Seongju, located 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

President Park Geun-hye’s approval rating came to 32 percent this week, up 1 percentage point from a week earlier. The ratio of dissenters also moved up 2 percentage points over the cited period to 54 percent. 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stood as the most-favored presidential candidate for next year’s race at 27 percent, trailed by Moon Jae-in, a former head of the main opposition Minjoo Party.