By Jun Ji-hye
Seoul and Washington have no plans to discuss whether to deploy key interceptors of the U.S.-led missile defense (MD) system on the Korean Peninsula during the upcoming meeting of defense chiefs, the defense ministry said, Monday.
“As far as I know, the issue related to THAAD deployment has not been included in the agenda for the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM),” Kim Min-seok, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, told a regular briefing.
Defense chiefs of the two countries are scheduled to sit down for their annual meeting on Oct. 23 in Washington.
THAAD stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the installation of which would provide an integral part of the U.S. missile shield aimed at neutralizing ballistic missiles fired from North Korea.
Whether or not the U.S. will deploy the THAAD battery on its base stationed in South Korea has been a controversial and sensitive issue here. Such a deployment has been widely regarded as an attempt by Washington to get its Asian ally to join the MD system and contain the influence of China and Russia.
The battery ostensibly targets North Korean ballistic missiles, but China and Russia claim they are the real targets of any such system on the peninsula, thus raising concerns that deployment would spark tensions in the Northeast Asia region.
The spokesman adhered to the existing stance of the ministry that Washington “has not discussed the matter with Seoul,” and he has never “heard from the U.S. about whether it has made a decision regarding deployment.”
The comment was in line with the Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Ahn Ho-young.
“There have been no consultations between the two allies, including discussions about deploying a THAAD battery,” Ahn told the National Assembly audit of the embassy, Saturday.
However, speculation regarding the deployment is abounding, with leaks to the press by U.S. and South Korean officials suggesting the government in Seoul shows no particular objections.
Defense Minister Han Min-koo earlier told lawmakers during an audit of his ministry: “If THAAD is deployed, it will be helpful to our security and defense.”
During the annual SCM, the allies plan to announce an agreement on how long and under what conditions the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul will be delayed. South Korea was scheduled to get OPCON back in December 2015.
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