Park urges end to THAAD row

By Yi Whan-woo

President Park Geun-hye urged the nation, Thursday, to stop what she called unnecessary debates over a decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province.

During a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) at Cheong Wa Dae, Park warned that conflicts and clashes among vested interests will lead the nation to “fail to safeguard itself and the people.”

“The country’s national security faces a grand challenge,” Park said, referring to North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. “The decision concerning THAAD was made after we judged that there’s nothing more important than protecting our people’s lives and safety. And we had a sense of urgency to bolster missile defense capabilities of alliance military forces of South Korea and the United States.”

The NSC meeting took place just hours before she left for Mongolia to attend the Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit on Friday and Saturday.

The President convened the meeting amid vocal opposition from residents of Seongju, civic activists and opposition lawmakers over the location of THAAD, an advanced U.S. missile defense system. The Ministry of Defense announced the location, Wednesday, after discussing it with the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

The President called on the government to be “attentive in listening to the residents of Seongju” to help address their concerns over health and environmental risks associated with electromagnetic radiation emitted from THAAD’s long-range radar.

“It’s important to explain to them in an objective and scientific manner that THAAD will pose no danger to their health and agricultural products,” Park said. “We should make their town a safe and good place to live as a reward for taking a big part in national security.”

She also pledged to win support from the parties to ensure deployment of THAAD.

The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) has cited discontent and opposition from China and Russia in their protest.

The minor opposition People’s Party has been demanding parliamentary approval to set up THAAD, claiming the decision was made without “sufficient discussions.”

The President asked for understanding in its decision, saying, “The well-being of the entire nation and the safety of the citizens are at stake and it was difficult to openly discuss where to locate THAAD.”

THAAD poll

In a telephone survey taken by pollster Realmeter of 547 adults, Thursday, 44.2 percent supported THAAD deployment. Some 33.6 percent opposed it while the remaining 17.2 percent said they were uncertain.

By political inclination, 69.8 percent of those who defined themselves as conservatives were in favor of THAAD deployment while 23.3 percent disapproved.

Some 54.8 percent of the liberal and 47.3 percent of the center-left respondents were against THAAD deployment.

Concerning getting parliamentary approval, 51.1 percent approved of the idea while 34 percent said it was not necessary.