In late June, the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) completed and approved its environmental impact assessment of the U.S. base of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, clearing the way for the system’s permanent deployment at the American military base on the narrow Korean Peninsula.
On July 8, 2016, the U.S. and the ROK issued a joint statement saying that due to “growing threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic