Ruling camp divided over THAAD

Rep. Yoo Seung-min, left, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, speaks during a policy coordination meeting with officials from Cheong Wa Dae and relevant ministries at Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo’s residence in Seoul, Sunday. The three sides met to discuss major economic and security policies. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

The ruling Saenuri Party and Cheong Wa Dae are divided about how to handle a U.S. push to deploy the advanced missile interceptor system, or THAAD, on Korean soil.

The party is seeking an open debate over whether the anti-ballistic missile system should be deployed on the peninsula or not, whereas the presidential office wants to handle the issue through quiet diplomacy.

The party held a consultation meeting with the government and the presidential office on Sunday afternoon.

Rep. Won Yoo-chul, chairman of the party’s policy committee, hinted earlier that the meeting would discuss the envisioned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, saying, “One of the agendas is pending issues related to national security to protect the lives and property of the people.”

In particular, the meeting would be a critical point for ruling party floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min, a former ally, now an outspoken critic of President Park Geun-hye. He was elected to the position last month.

Rep. Yoo, who chaired the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee from July 2012 to May 2014, is attempting to speak openly about the need for deployment. He said he would collect party members’ opinions at the end of March, when the party is due to hold a policy meeting.

But Cheong Wa Dae is taking a cautious attitude as it tries to prevent the issue from becoming an issue of public debate.

During a consolation meeting, Hyun Jung-taik, presidential senior secretary for policy coordination, said, “Measures to improve living conditions of the ordinary people should be focused.” The remarks were construed as an apparent call for ruling party members to refrain from taking about theTHAAD issue publicly.

In its so-called “3 No” position, Cheong Wa Dae earlier said there had been no request, no consultation and no decision about introducing Washington’s advanced missile interceptor battery. This position is in line with that of the Ministry of National Defense.

Whether to have a public debate about THAAD deployment is also showing signs of becoming the subject of wrangles within the governing camp because some lawmakers close to President Park are reacting against Yoo’s attempt to publicize the issue.

Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, who was Park’s senior press secretary, and Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, recently named as one of Park’s special advisers on political affairs, claimed Yoo made an improper decision.

Six-term lawmaker Rhee In-je was also against Yoo, saying, “The THAAD issue is not a subject of the debate in public. Deliberate, strategic discussion of the government is necessary to make a decision favorable to national interests.”

The THAAD system is widely regarded as the core of the U.S. ballistic missile defense (MD) system.

The debate about the deployment has reignited amid growing concerns over the ROK-U.S. alliance after a knife attack on U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert this month.

Washington hopes to bring its advanced missile interceptor into South Korea to better deal with missile threats from North Korea.

But Seoul has never given a definite answer, apparently because it fears strong opposition from China, Korea’s No. 1 trading partner.

China alleges that any deployment in Korea would target it.

The major concern of those who are cautious about the deployment is that China could stop financial and personal exchanges with Seoul if THAAD is deployed here.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye