Exclusive: THAAD Battery Returns to Full Strength in Seongju with Redeployment of 6 Launchers

[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) THAAD launchers, which were moved out of the Seongju base in North Gyeongsang Province in early March during the initial phase of the Iran war, have recently returned. The system has been redeployed to its full operational capacity.

This is an exclusive report by Defense Correspondent Kim Taehun.

[Reporter]

In the early hours of March 3, six THAAD launchers were moved out of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in Soseong-ri, Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province.

This effectively removed all six launchers that make up a single THAAD battery.

While residents in Seongju spotted two launchers and three launch vehicles returning to the base on March 12 and 20, it was revealed that the core components of the THAAD battery had been diverted to the Middle East, where the war was ongoing.

[Xavier Brunson / Commander of U.S. Forces Korea (April, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee): We are moving munitions (USFK THAAD interceptors) to the Middle East, and they are currently waiting for transport.]

In April, Commander Brunson acknowledged the diversion of interceptors to the Middle East, though he did not specifically mention the THAAD launchers at the time.

However, it has been confirmed that the remaining four THAAD launchers returned to the Seongju base last month, while the U.S. and Iran were engaged in ceasefire negotiations.

[Kang Hyun-wook / Spokesperson for the Soseong-ri Situation Room in Seongju: They didn't all arrive together; I understand they were brought in one by one. (Can you see the launchers if you go to the mountain next to the base?) Yes, yes.]

A high-ranking South Korean government official also told SBS that "the readiness posture of the THAAD system at the Seongju base is no different from what it was before the Iran war."

This means that a full THAAD battery, consisting of six launchers, a radar, a fire control unit, and power generators, has been redeployed to the Seongju base.

The official added, "I understand that other USFK weapons that were diverted for the Iran war have also returned or are in the process of returning."

This suggests that concerns over a security vacuum caused by the diversion of USFK strategic assets due to the Iran war have been resolved.

(Video reporting: Kim Hyunsang | Video editing: Jung Sunghoon | Graphics: Jo Suin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.