US strategic commander to visit Korea next week

By Jun Ji-hye

Admiral Cecil D. Haney

Admiral Cecil D. Haney, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, will visit Seoul for four days starting Sunday to discuss missile and nuclear threats from North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Thursday.

Haney is planning to meet with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Choi Yoon-hee and other military authorities here, the ministry noted.

It is the commander’s first visit since he assumed the post in November 2013.

As he is in a position of responsibility over the U.S. missile defense (MD) system, Haney’s visit is drawing keen attention amid growing expectations that Washington will soon ask Seoul to engage in an official discussion on the potential deployment of the THADD missile system on the Korean Peninsula.

THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is widely regarded as the core of the U.S. MD system.

Defense watchers speculate that the commander could talk about THAAD during the visit because a number of high-ranking Pentagon officials have raised the need for the deployment on the peninsula, citing escalating threats from the reclusive state.

Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok, however, denied there would be discussion of its possible deployment.

“The issue is a government-to-government matter,” he told the regular briefing. “It cannot be mentioned at a strategic commander level.”

Kim added that the U.S. will ask the South Korean ministry at a government level for cooperation, after it makes a final decision on the deployment.

The government has maintained that it will look into whether THAAD will be helpful in boosting effectiveness in national security only after the U.S. asks for an official discussion.

Another ministry official supported the spokesman, saying, “Defense Minister Han Mon-koo has no plan to meet with Haney.”

The official, on the condition of anonymity, added that he understands Haney is visiting key allies ahead of him leaving office in November.

Deployment of the THAAD system is a thorny issue for Seoul as it needs to walk a tightrope between its military ally Washington and No. 1 trading partner Beijing.

China has been pressing Seoul to reject the THAAD deployment, saying it could be used to nullify Beijing's military strike capabilities. Russia has also expressed opposition to the deployment.

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