Opposition parties agree to form THAAD panel

The floor leaders of three opposition parties hold hands ahead of talks at the National Assembly, Wednesday. From left are Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the Minjoo Party of Korea, Rep. Park Jie-won of the People’s Party and Rep. Roh Hoe-chan of the Justice Party. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

Three opposition parties agreed Wednesday to set up a parliamentary special committee to look into the planned deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between their floor leaders at the National Assembly amid growing controversy over the anti-missile system to be deployed next year in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province.

They plan to propose the committee to the ruling Saenuri Party soon.

“A lot of issues linked to the THAAD deployment have been raised, so the three opposition parties agreed that the National Assembly needs to scrutinize them,” said Rep. Ki Dong-min, a spokesman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK). “There is no justification for the Saenuri Party to reject the proposal.”

The three parties hold a cumulative majority in the 300-seat Assembly.

Rep. Kim Jong-dae, a spokesperson of the minor opposition Justice Party, also said, “Saenuri floor leader Chung Jin-suk told residents of Seongju that his party can hold a parliamentary hearing on the issue if necessary, so the ruling party should agree with a special committee and a hearing.”

The People’s Party and the Justice Party have strongly opposed THAAD deployment, while the MPK has maintained an ambiguous stance on the issue, with its interim leader Kim Chong-in supporting the decision.

Saenuri Party has been skeptical of forming a special panel on THAAD because they remain far apart on the issue.

The opposition bloc also agreed to set up committees tasked with reforming the prosecution and expanding the duration of a government investigation into the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014.

The prosecution is under heavy fire for a series of corruption scandals involving incumbent and former senior prosecutors. The Sewol Special Committee expired June 30, but opposition parties have demanded its extension.