[Yonhap News Photo]
North Korea's second long-range missile test has apparently aroused a tide of nationalist sentiment, coupled with China's prolonged trade retaliation for the deployment of US missile interceptors.
South Korea's public opinion was split over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system when US troops brought in six launchers and deployed two of them last year.
Now, many Koreans appear to recognize the THAAD battery as necessary for security, especially after North Korea launched a second intercontinental ballistic missile.
In a survey of 10,134 people, Realmeter, a leading pollster, found that 71 percent supported President Moon Jae-in's decision to go ahead with the temporary deployment of additional launchers while 18.4 percent opposed it.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
