THAAD decision irreversible: Park
By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday the decision to deploy a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea is “irreversible.”
She said she will meet lawmakers and officials in Seongju Country, North Gyeongsang Province, to seek their understanding about how the county was selected as the site for the battery. However, she did not say whether she will visit the county herself or meet residents there as opposition parties asked her to.
“I am agonizing over the endless feud over the THAAD deployment although North Korea is modernizing its nuclear weaponry. Bringing THAAD is about ensuring the security of South Korea and its people from North Korea’s evolving threats, so the decision is irreversible,” said Park during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae.
“Should North Korea advance its nuclear and missile capabilities, no region in South Korea could be assured of safety. If we cannot take basic defensive steps such as the THAAD deployment, how can we protect the nation and its people?”
South Korea and the United States announced on July 8 that they will bring a THAAD battery here by next year. Two weeks later, Seoul’s defense ministry said the U.S. missile shield will be stationed in Seongju.
However, the envisioned deployment is facing backlash from the residents, as well as lawmakers and activists, who are concerned that the electromagnetic waves from the THAAD radar could pose health risks and hurt their agricultural crops.
Park rejected the claim, saying that the government made the decision after repeatedly examining the safety of the radar through on-site inspections and simulation tests.
“Despite scientific evidence that the deployment would not have any harmful effects, some are spreading various kinds of strange and groundless rumors and I am concerned that these tales are shaking the foundation of security,” she said.
“In order to actively address the issue, I plan to meet the region’s lawmakers and local administrative heads.”
She also warned against the opposition parties that are now staging protests against the THAAD deployment, saying the political circles need to muster up their “wisdom and strength” to prevent further division over the issue.
“The division among South Koreans is what North Korea has sought to foment here,” she said.
Noting that she had the excruciating experience of losing her parents, Park underscored that her lone duty as the head of state is to protect the nation and the people from a variety of threats from the Kim Jong-un regime.
Park’s parents ― former President Park Chung-hee and first lady Yuk Young-soo ― were assassinated in 1979 and 1974, respectively.
“To this end, the government has been striving to persuade countries all over the world to halt aid to North Korea and closely cooperate with our country to make the North give up its nuclear and missile programs,” she said.