Korea won't reverse THAAD: Foreign Minister
By Yi Whan-woo
South Korea will not reverse its decision jointly made with the United States to set up a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday.
She dismissed concerns that the Moon Jae-in administration’s decision to conduct a large-scale study on the environmental impact of the anti-missile system will possibly scrap plans to fully deploy THAAD.
“As my President himself made it clear on numerous occasions, my government has no intention to basically reverse the commitments made in the spirit of the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. alliance,” Kang said during a speech at a security forum jointly hosted by the JoongAng Ilbo and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Seoul.
She cited that there has been speculation that Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump may have differences on some security issues.
“Going through the environmental-impact assessment is an issue of domestic due process. It does not mean that we will cancel or reverse the decision to deploy THAAD,” she added.
She also touched on tricky issues on North Korea, over which the two allies appear to have a gap in their approaches.
These include whether to re-open the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) in North Korea and whether to carry out humanitarian assistance and civil exchanges along with sanctions.
Kang claimed that Seoul will pursue the resumption of GIC operations “only under the right circumstances.”
“It is something that can be pursued at a later stage when we are assured of progress in dealing with the North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and we will do so in closest consultation with the United States. It is not something we can discuss at this stage when we are ratcheting up sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang,” she said.
Regarding humanitarian aid and civil exchanges, she said they should be “in parallel with sanctions and pressure” and that they should be independent from political considerations.
Kang, a former U.N. human rights official, underscored that the South Korean government will stay the course with its policy on North Korean human rights, saying, “Human rights is a universal value that transcends borders.”
“In this regard, the President conveyed his deepest condolences on the tragic death of Mr. Otto Warmbier. We strongly condemn North Korea’s inhumane and cruel treatment of Mr. Warmbier and our hearts go out to his bereaved family,” she said.
The forum was held two days before Moon’s five-day trip to the U.S. for his summit with Trump.
Kang noted that their first summit will be important because they can move the Seoul-Washington alliance “from good to great,” citing that the institutionalization of meetings involving foreign affairs and defense ministers from the two countries will be discussed.
“Presidents Moon and Trump see eye to eye on the North Korean nuclear and missile issues. They have a shared goal -- that is the complete dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program,” she said. “Finally, they both have the door open for engaging North Korea if conditions are right. In this sense, my government’s strategy mirrors that of maximum pressure and engagement of the United States.”