Mattis's visit gives THAAD deployment momentum
By Jun Ji-hye
Seoul and Washington’s plan to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here within the year is gaining considerable momentum after the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis.
During his highly symbolic first overseas trip since taking office last month, Washington’s top defense official stressed, among other things, that the advanced anti-missile system was absolutely necessary to defend against North Korean threats so the deployment would go as planned.
The retired Marine Corps general said Friday, ahead of his meeting with Seoul’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo, “We are taking defense steps like deploying the highly effective THAAD anti-missile unit to the Republic of Korea to protect its people and our troops that are stationed with our ally.”
During his meeting with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se earlier in the day, Mattis also reaffirmed the determination to move ahead as planned.
This was seen as an apparent effort to remove speculation that the deployment decision, made last year under the leadership of President Park Geun-hye, could be reconsidered by the next South Korean government, given that Park has been impeached over a corruption scandal and China has intensified its retaliatory actions.
Opposition presidential hopefuls including Moon Jae-in from the Democratic Party of Korea have raised the need to renegotiate the issue.
From the viewpoint of newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump, THAAD could be a major factor in deciding a winner in the power game between the U.S. and China in his early days in office.
Experts said Washington probably wants to deploy the battery before South Korea’s presidential election takes place ― possibly in the first half of the year instead of December. If the Constitutional Court endorses Park’s impeachment, the country must elect a new leader within 60 days.
“I think there is a greater possibility the U.S. will bring the deployment forward so that it can be done before the presidential election,” said Hong Hyun-ik, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, a local think tank, in his radio appearance.
He noted that Washington might think that if an opposition candidate wins the election, the deployment could be reconsidered.
A military official also said, on condition of anonymity, that the deployment would help Washington in many ways such as holding Beijing in check and sending a warning to North Korea.
According to informed sources, Lotte Group will also go ahead in providing its golf course in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, as the site for the THAAD unit despite repercussions for its businesses in China.
Lotte International ― the owner of Lotte Skyhill Country Club ― held a board of directors meeting Friday to discuss exchanging the property for military-owned land in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
Although the board put off a final decision until the next meeting, the date of which has not been set, sources noted the group recently decided to go approve the deal as it was related to national security.
Lotte was earlier expected to approve the land swap deal at the start of the year but has apparently delayed the move amid growing concerns over possible damage to its businesses here and in China.