THAAD probe makes US uneasy

By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in’s decision to investigate the defense ministry’s alleged concealment of key information regarding the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery could offend the Donald Trump administration, analysts said Thursday.

Although Moon insisted that the investigation into the secret arrival of four additional THAAD launchers is a “purely domestic issue,” this could become a source of unease ahead of the upcoming summit between Moon and Trump.

Moon assured Washington that the probe does not intend to reverse the battery deployment deal.

However, the U.S. may feel uncomfortable about the controversy because the battery is already in operation with the two previously transported launchers according to the agreement between the two governments.

Even before being elected, Moon claimed the deployment had procedural flaws and he would seek National Assembly’s ratification.

“In their planned talks, Moon and Donald Trump will have to discuss the THAAD issue, including the procedural problem and ratification, and this is a very important diplomatic issue,” said Kim Byung-min, visiting professor at Kyung Hee University.

“In this situation, the Moon government’s public announcement of the investigation before the summit was hasty and may not be helpful for the national interest.”

The controversy emerged Tuesday when Cheong Wa Dae said the ministry deliberately did not report to the new government that the U.S. had brought in four additional launchers for the battery deployed here, in addition to the two already in operation.

Cheong Wa Dae is investigating Defense Minister Han Min-koo and former National Security Office (NSO) head Kim Kwan-jin who were security leaders under the former Park Geun-hye administration that pushed ahead with the deployment.

At the same time, Moon said the investigation is a domestic issue, mindful of the possible influence it may have on diplomatic relations.

“We do not intend to change the existing decision or send a different message to the U.S.” Moon told U.S. Senator Dick Durbin during a meeting Wednesday.

He said the Park administration’s decision to introduce the battery lacked due procedure, such as an environmental impact survey, as well as public consensus, adding he is trying to follow the procedure and it may take some time.

Chung Eui-yong, the current NSO head, also said, “I had the foreign ministry explain to the U.S. why we are conducting the investigation and that this is a domestic issue which does not affect the Korea-U.S. alliance.”

He said the NSO deputy chief Lee Sang-chul also visited U.S. Forces Korea Commander Vincent Brooks to give the same explanation.

But it is yet to be seen whether the U.S. will accept the issue as explained by the Moon government.

After the meeting with Moon, Durbin told a local news agency that he told Moon that if Korea doesn’t want THAAD system, the U.S. could spend the $923 million budget for the deployment in some other place.

But Cheong Wa Dae denied the report. “What Durbin said about budget was, he was surprised that THAAD deployment is controversial in Korea while his country is planning to spend $923 million for it,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said.

And the Pentagon indirectly showed discomfort about the row, saying the THAAD deployment deal with the Korean government was “very transparent.”

“We continue to work very closely with the Republic of Korea government and we have been very transparent in all of our actions throughout this process,” Defense Department spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters in a news briefing Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Saying the U.S. is “committed to the THAAD program,” Davis even mentioned the possibility of adding more capabilities to the system’s initial ones.

“There are additional capabilities to add to it to give it the level of redundancy so that it can be fully mission-capable, and we’ll continue to work with the Republic of Korea government going forward to do that,” he was quoted as saying by The Hill, a news organization in Washington, D.C., chiefly covering the U.S. government.