Gov't struggling to calm Seongju
Representatives of civic groups hold a press conference at the Korea Press Center, Thursday, to call on the government to scrap its decision to allow the U.S. Forces Korea to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery. / Yonhap
By Kim Hyo-jin
The Ministry of National Defense is struggling to persuade residents amid a strong backlash over the planned deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.
Defense Minister Han Min-koo will soon visit Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, where the battery will be set up next year, to explain about safety issues regarding the anti-missile system to residents, a defense official said Thursday.
While taking flak from parties for not seeking public understanding in advance, the defense ministry said it will seek all possible measures to ease public discontent until it sees out the deployment as planned.
“The minister will soon visit Seongju as he promised the people from the town,” a ministry official said. “We will listen to the public voice and work on addressing their concerns; other ministries are expected to join such efforts.”
The defense minister on Wednesday met with about 200 Seongju residents who made a protest visit to the ministry and strongly defended the safety of the THAAD system.
“When deployed, I will test it myself to prove it is harmless by standing right in front of the (X-band) radar,” Han said. “I understand your concern but no harm has ever been detected in many sites where the military operates radar.”
The government’s announcement to deploy the battery in Seongju angered residents, Wednesday. They staged a massive rally in the town, expressing concerns over the potential health impact of the electromagnetic waves emitted from THAAD’s X-band radar, as well as the possible damage to the reputation of their melon crop.
In the face of the residents’ uproar, the ruling Saenuri Party also started calling for countermeasures by the government to ease public anxiety. “If needed, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister should visit the town and reassure the residents,” party floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk said during a meeting, Thursday.
Meanwhile, the minor opposition parties continued demanding that the government seek parliamentary approval for the deployment, while the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) called for follow-up measures to quell public concerns over deployment.
“If there’s nothing to be ashamed of concerning the decision, why not seek an Assembly endorsement?” asked Rep. Kim Song-sik, chief policymaker of the opposition People’s Party. “If the government keeps avoiding it, we will take it to mean that the decision was made without full consideration of the national interest.”
Defense officials will be grilled
Rival parties agreed to hold a two-day interpellation session from Tuesday to Wednesday to question security and defense officials about the decision to deploy the THAAD battery in Seongju.
They plan to grill the government over how it will operate the anti-missile defense system and whether its radar carries safety concerns.
“We decided to open a parliamentary interpellation session to settle public controversy doubts over the decision,” Rep. Kim Do-eup, vice floor leader of the Saenuri Party told reporters.
“The nation is divided following the government’s announcement. As a countermeasure, the parties agreed to further question the government about the safety issues and the effectiveness of having the battery here,” said Rep. Kim Kwan-young, vice floor leader of the People’s Party.