Lee Sang-hak/Yonhap via Reuters
Violent clashes broke out in a South Korean village early Thursday as authorities deployed the four last launchers of the U.S. anti-missile THAAD system. The installation of the system, which is meant to protect against a potential North Korean missile strike amid escalating threats, saw about 8,000 police officers deployed to the area this week to break up a blockade made by residents. On Thursday, about 38 protesters were injured in skirmishes with police, with 21 of them requiring hospital treatment, a Seongju Fire Station official told Reuters. Some residents in the village fear the deployment of the THAAD system will militarize the area and disrupt its day-to-day life. The system’s deployment has also drawn sharp condemnation from China, which believes it will only further destabilize the region. The deployment comes after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test Sunday.