hankyoreh

The former golf course in Seongju

President Moon Jae-in’s solution on the THAAD issue took a hard turn toward swift completion of the deployment with his July 29 order to deploy an additional four launchers.

Analysts are saying Moon, who was previously criticized by rival presidential candidates for “waffling” on the deployment after it surfaced as a major political issue last year, now appears to be throwing his lot in with accepting inter-Korean antagonisms as a given.

“I proposed a full-scale deployment to President Moon [after North Korea’s July 28 ballistic missile launch], and the National Security Council (NSC) decided on a temporary deployment to support that measure,” said Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo on the THAAD deployment during a July 31 appearance before the National Assembly National Defense Committee. The implication is that a proposal by the Ministry of National Defense or other working-level agency was behind Moon’s decision.

But sources in and around the Blue House said direct and indirect pressure from Washington may have played a part in Moon’s surprise THAAD deployment decision. The suggestion is that US government pressure may have intensified as North Korea‘s Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile emerged as a real threat against the contiguous US. Responding to questions from reporters that day on whether an agreement on the THAAD deployment has been reached in a late-night July 29 telephone call between Blue House National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong and White House National Security Advisor Herbert McMaster just after the Hwasong-14 launch, a senior Blue House official replied that they could “not talk about the specifics of an agreement,” but said they had “had a comprehensive discussion.” In other words, the official did not deny that there had been an agreement between the two sides on the THAAD deployment.

Analysts said the decision was first and foremost the latest in a series of gradual shifts by Moon toward recognizing the THAAD deployment. Moon faced criticisms for “flip-flopping” during his presidential campaign after changing positions on the THAAD deployment issue a number of times. In the immediate wake of the Park Geun-hye administration’s July 2016 announcement of plans to deploy THAAD in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Moon posted a Facebook message demanding that the deployment be reconsidered and subjected to public debate through National Assembly ratification.

“In terms of the national interest, this is a decision where the losses are greater than the gains,” he said at the time.

But Moon’s position changed around late 2016 and early 2017 as then-President Park Geun-hye faced the sudden threat of impeachment. As a snap election appeared increasingly likely, his calls for “reexamination” of the deployment disappeared, and his focus shifted instead toward “leaving the THAAD issue for the next administration to deal with.” In a January interview with Newsis, Moon all but signaled that he would no longer be demanding the deployment’s withdrawal.

“I’m not talking about leaving [the issue] for the next administration with plans to cancel the THAAD deployment decision,” he said at the time.

The issue of National Assembly ratification did stay alive with Moon’s election pledges. But his administration has not shown plans to implement that pledge since taking office in May. In essence, the issue was stealthily swept away without explanation.

Moon did continue to demand an environmental impact assessment for the Seongju golf course site. His administration has criticized predecessor Park’s decision to deployment two THAAD launchers without an environmental impact assessment as “lacking procedural legitimacy,” saying the 10- to 15-month-long assessment would be reflected in a decision on the THAAD deployment once it was complete. But that plan was reversed on July 29 - a day after its announcement - when Moon ordered the deployment of four additional THAAD launchers, citing the Hwasong-14 launch. Just like the Park administration he had consistently criticized, he opted to deploy additional THAAD components before conducting an environmental impact assessment.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer, and Lee Jung-ae, staff reporter

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