By Jun Ji-hye
A heated dispute is underway regarding possible sites to locate a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery with South Korea and the United States scheduled to begin talks as early as this week on whether the missile-defense system is to be deployed.
Where the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will locate the THAAD unit involves a variety of conflicting matters ranging from reactions from neighboring countries including China, along with possible safety and environmental threats to nearby residents.
Locations cited as possible sites for THAAD include Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, Daegu, and Waegwan in North Gyeongsang Province. The USFK’s Camp Humphreys is located at Pyeongtaek, Camp Walker in Daegu and Camp Carroll at Waegwan, outside of Daegu.
Other candidate sites include Wonju in Gangwon Province and Gunsan in North Jeolla Province.
Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said during a media briefing, Monday, that an allies’ joint working-level group will conduct their review of candidate areas before deciding on a site after consideration of all related matters.
“The military utility of the USFK will be considered as the most important aspect because the THAAD will be operated by the USFK,” he said. “Allies will choose an optimal location from which the military can shoot down North Korean missiles.”
Moon’s remark was construed as indicating that the government will give Washington’s opinion priority when deciding the location. The U.S. wants to deploy the THAAD battery in order to protect its troops stationed here and their families from mounting nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Among the possible locations, some observers say, Daegu or Waegwan could be the most likely site, given that it is regarded as an ideal location from which to protect most USFK bases on the peninsula.
Their location in the southern part of the country is also further away from China than sites near Seoul such as Pyeongtaek which faces China across the West Sea. Observers say this could minimize opposition from China.
Beijing, Seoul’s No. 1 trading partner, is strongly opposed to THAAD deployment on Korean soil, out of concerns that THAAD’s AN/TPY-2 radar system could snoop on Beijing’s military activities and missile capabilities.
In response to such concerns, spokesman Moon earlier said that the radar will be only be activated in terminal mode using a range of some 600 kilometers, not in the forward-based mode which has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers.
If the THAAD with the radar in terminal mode were to be deployed in Daegu or Waegwan, the radar range would not provoke China.
In addition, Daegu is the constituency of Rep. Yoo Seong-min, former floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, who has consistently raised the issue of bringing the THAAD into the peninsula to better cope with North Korean threats.
The ministry downplayed speculation that the location would be decided by taking China’s resistance into consideration. “All decisions will be made in accordance with the nation’s interests and the national security,” Moon said.
Pyeongtaek has long been cited as a possible location for the THAAD unit as well, since the THAAD issue first emerged in June 2014 when the Commander of the USFK and United Nations Command Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti raised the possibility of a necessary deployment.
Some military authorities here reportedly want Pyeongtaek to be the site because it is a better location from which to protect the capital area, in preference to the southern part of the nation. But skepticism is also abounding as there are residential apartment buildings and an industrial zone around Camp Humphreys.
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