Exclusive: THAAD Battery Returns to Full Operational Status in Seongju; All 6 Launchers Redeployed

[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 stages of the Iran war, have recently returned. The system has now been fully redeployed to its complete operational configuration.

Reported by Kim Tae-hoon, National Defense Correspondent.

[Reporter]

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

This involved the removal of 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.

[Gen. Xavier Brunson / Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (April, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee): We are sending munitions (USFK THAAD interceptors) and they are currently staged for movement.]

During his testimony in April, Gen. Brunson, the commander of USFK, acknowledged the diversion of interceptors to the Middle East, though he did not specifically mention the launchers at the time.

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

[Kang Hyun-wook / Spokesperson, Soseong-ri General Situation Room in Seongju: They didn't all arrive at once; 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 official from the South Korean government 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 the 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 had been diverted for the Iran war have also returned or are in the process of returning."

This development is seen as resolving concerns over a potential security vacuum caused by the diversion of USFK strategic assets due to the Iran war.

(Reported by Kim Hyun-sang | Video edited by Jung Sung-hun | Graphics by Jo Su-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.