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Former Minjoo Party of Korea leader Moon Jae-in wipes away a tear at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the death of philosopher Shin Young-bok

Former Minjoo Party of Korea leader Moon Jae-in sounded a realist note on Jan. 15 on the issue of renegotiating the Korean Peninsula deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which he said was effectively impossible.

Meanwhile, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon showed his conservative national security leanings on THAAD, which has become a key issue in foreign affairs and national security.

“The Korean Peninsula is in a quasi-wartime situation, and THAAD must be deployed,” Ban declared.

The move to the right on the THAAD issue from both Moon and Ban - respectively running first and second in ratings as contenders in this year’s presidential election - appears to herald changes in a public opinion landscape where the battle so far has been between those calling for the reexamination of the deployment and others who advocated accepting it as a reality.

“A situation on the THAAD issue is something the next administration is going to have to come up with, but I don’t think it‘s possible to cancel an agreement that has already been made between South Korea and the US,” Moon said in an interview with Newsis published on Jan. 15.

Moon has tweaked his position on THAAD a few times in the past, first advocating public discussion and reexamination before making calls to stop the deployment procedure and leave the matter for the next administration to decide. But this marks the first time he has said that renegotiation even under the next administration is unlikely.

At the same time, Moon remained critical of the Park Geun-hye administration’s decision on the issue.

“Internally, there should have been a process of public debate with a National Assembly ratification, and externally there should have been diplomatic efforts to persuade China and Russia,” he said.

at a cathedral in Seoul’s Guro district. On the right is Justice Party leader Shim Sang-jung. (by Lee Jeong-woo

Ban who has maintained a moderate stance on social and political issues with calls for “respecting the spirit” of recent candlelight demonstrations and “achieving social unity,” showed support for the administration’s current decision on the THAAD issue during a visit the same time to the 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

“Judging from the circumstances of the THAAD deployment, it appears to have the purpose of defending against the nuclear weapons that North Korea continues developing and the ballistic missile technology it is acquiring,” he said.

“At the same time, we also have relationships with other countries, and we can resolve the issue effectively through diplomacy,” he added.

Ban went on to say that felt the Park administration was “responding well” with its North Korea policy.

While the remarks on Jan. 16 from the two leading presidential contenders showed noticeable differences in their assessments of the administration’s THAAD deployment decision, they also showed little difference in terms of practical solutions. Whereas Moon voiced the need for a National Assembly ratification and other public debate process even if the deployment is accepted as a given, Ban did not comment on that.

Observers in and around the Minjoo Party interpreted Moon‘s remarks as part of a strategy to extend his reach and reinforce his lead going into the presidential election. From their perspective, Moon’s new circumspection on THAAD renegotiation is meant to target moderate and unaffiliated voters ahead of the Lunar New Year’s holiday, which is seen as a watershed moment in pre-election sentiment. Thanks to support from opposition supporters and progressive voters, Moon has already begun moving out in front in election projections not only for multiple candidates but also two- and three-way races.

In contrast, Ban, who has support ratings of just over 20% in multiple-candidate scenarios, appears to be looking to solidify his current conservative support on security issues while reaching out to moderates on social and economic issues.

By Lee Se-young and Ha Eo-young, staff reporters

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