By Kim Hyo-jin
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) is likely to join forces with smaller opposition parties soon to attempt to block the planned deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
The party’s interim leader Kim Chong-in has refused to clarify his stance on whether to oppose this or not, drawing protests from more antagonistic fellow lawmakers. However, the party is highly likely to position itself against the deployment after a caucus scheduled for Aug. 27.
That is because all contenders for the leadership have voiced their opposition to the presence of the U.S. anti-missile system here.
Ten party members visited Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday, showing support for residents who are protesting against the stationing of the anti-missile system there.
Some lawmakers plan to visit China next week to gather more information about potential diplomatic and economic conflicts over the THAAD issue, according to officials.
With speculation running high over the MPK’s shifting stance, partisan wrangling over the issue will be further intensified in the National Assembly, especially ahead of the presidential election in 2017.
With the opposition bloc joining hands to protest the deployment, the government may find it too burdensome to push ahead with the plan by the end of next year as announced.
Rep. Kim Hyun-kwon, a lawmaker affiliated with the party’s THAAD Committee, and eight fellow lawmakers including Reps. Lee Sang-min, Pyo Chang-won and Park Ju-min, toured an artillery base in Seongsan-ri, the designated location, and held a meeting with local residents at the county office.
Kim Hong-gul, the third son of late President Kim Dae-jung and former head of the party’s committee for national unity, accompanied them.
The visit by the MPK lawmakers drew much attention as the party leadership still maintains strategic ambiguity over the deployment.
“The meeting was arranged to listen to residents’ voices and reflect their opinions when devising policy,” Rep. Kim said.
“Though the trip was made based on individual lawmakers’ decisions, the fact that multiple lawmakers went reflects the high possibility that the party could soon position itself against THAAD deployment as an official stance.”
Rep. Kim Young-ho, chief of the committee, said he plans to visit Beijing, Monday, along with fellow lawmakers. “The government said Beijing won’t impose trade sanctions against Korean firms, but we plan to look into the probability by exploring contradictory information,” he said.
The party has remained equivocal over whether it will disagree with the planned deployment of the anti-missile system in an apparent bid to appeal to conservative voters who will place more weight on security concerns on the peninsula in the upcoming presidential election.
This stance, however, could soon change after the party convention scheduled to elect the new leadership, officials said.
All contenders — Reps. Choo Mi-ae, Song Young-gil, Lee Jong-kul, and former head of the party’s reform committee Kim Sang-gon — are opposed to the deployment, saying the decision should be halted.
Their position signals that the MPK may toughen its stance against the government’s push for the plan, joining hands with the People’s Party which has been against it.
Kim Hyung-joon, a politics professor at Myongji University, said THAAD will emerge as a hot button issue during the presidential campaign, describing it as a “black hole.”
“It’s related to public security concerns, which are easy to inflate to be the biggest discussion point,” he said. “A presidential candidate of the conservative Saenuri Party will voice support for the system. And contenders from the opposition bloc will seek a way to put out a single candidate while joining forces in an anti-THAAD move.”