hankyoreh

On July 20, Defense Minister Han Min-gu said on a KBS broadcast, “If the US deploys THAAD on the Korean peninsula, it will help to deter North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles and strengthen our security posture on the peninsula.”

On July 21, Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok commented on the issue as well. “Bringing THAAD to Korea basically has little to do with China,” Kim said.

THAAD, a high-altitude missile interception system, is a key component of the American missile defense system. Deploying a single THAAD unit costs more than 2 trillion won (US$1.95 billion). We are not persuaded by US claims that its desire to install THAAD on the Korean peninsula is motivated solely by the threat posed by North Korea.

Beijing has issued several warnings about deploying THAAD on the Korean peninsula, since it regards THAAD as being aimed at China. Importantly for China, the X-band radar that is operated along with THAAD has a detection range of 1,000km, which includes key areas inside China.

If the US deploys THAAD with United States Forces Korea (USFK), China and Russia will take this to mean that South Korea has joined the US missile defense system. If THAAD is deployed in South Korea, the country will become the front lines in a confrontation between the US and China, and it is clear that Sino-South Korean relations would deteriorate.

In addition, there is a good chance that deploying the THAAD system would provoke North Korea to pour even more energy into developing missiles, making inter-Korean relations even more difficult. It would also complicate efforts to locate a solution for issues affecting the Korean peninsula, including the North Korea nuclear issue.

The South Korean Ministry of National Defense claims that THAAD is necessary because it would be difficult to intercept North Korea’s Rodong ballistic missile with the USFK’s Patriot 3 if North Korea shot it into a higher orbit. However, there is little evidence to support this argument.

For the Ministry to ignore this and take active steps to basically roll out the red carpet for THAAD is effectively the same as accepting a clear strategic disadvantage in pursuit of an ambiguous tactical advantage. In addition to this, once THAAD is deployed with USFK, pressure would increase for South Korea to purchase the system for itself.

Suspicions are increasing that the South Korean government is rashly supporting the deployment of THAAD to repay the US for agreeing to its request to delay the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). While the South Korean government claims that it is staying clear of the US missile defense system, in reality it appears to be gradually joining the system.

If the government is truly concerned about security, it must definitely reject the deployment of THAAD.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]