By Kang Seung-woo
Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), said Thursday that the government needs approval from the National Assembly to purchase the site for a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
He said the deal may cost up to 100 billion won ($89.9 million) in taxpayer money, requiring scrutiny by the Assembly.
Last week, the defense ministry picked a Lotte Group-owned golf course in Seongju as the final site for the U.S. missile defense battery and is in negotiations with the conglomerate over the purchase of the course.
Opposition parties claim that the purchase will rely on state funding, so it should get parliamentary approval.
“A project that will receive more than 100 billion won from the state budget cannot be conducted without approval from the National Assembly,” Woo said during a party meeting. “Putting aside the pros and cons of THAAD, I think the deployment plan is subject to Assembly approval. It is basic procedure.”
Since the deployment plan was announced in July, the MPK has maintained strategic ambiguity over the issue, distancing itself from the second-largest People’s Party strongly opposing THAAD on the Korean Peninsula.
However, the main opposition side shows signs that it may harden its stance on the state budget for THAAD.
During an audit by the National Defense Committee, Wednesday, MPK lawmakers insisted that the defense ministry win approval from parliament, citing a potential massive tax injection.
“The deployment plan needs to pass through the Cabinet meeting and get approval from the Assembly to pave the way for the plan to proceed without a hitch under a new government,” said Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee of the MPK.
In order to avoid the parliamentary step, the ministry is allegedly pushing for a land swap deal _ exchanging the golf course with an equivalent plot of land in Gyeonggi Province owned by the military.
However, Rhee said the land swap deal will also need approval from the Assembly because the site will be handed over to the U.S. Forces Korea, meaning the South Korean side will shoulder a financial burden.
Rep. Lee Jong-kul, another MPK lawmaker, said the land swap deal should be considered as a last resort if the ministry fails to purchase the golf course with state funding.
“Should the defense ministry push for the option, it will be a failure to act with procedural fairness,” Lee said.
In response to MPK’s calls, Defense Minister Han Min-koo retained the government’s stance.
“According to the Constitution, the THAAD deployment does not belong to the seven categories that is subject to Assembly approval,” Han told lawmakers.