LKP leader's US trip welcomed by few
By Choi Ha-young
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Hong Joon-pyo
Chairman of the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Hong Joon-pyo, is scheduled to visit Washington next week to call for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.
However, there are widespread concerns here that his visit will only cause misunderstanding among U.S. politicians and policymakers about Seoul’s stance on the redeployment issue. Some analysts worry that his visit will deepen an ideological divide in South Korea over how to deal with North Korea’s threats when a unified voice is needed more than ever.
According to the LKP, Hong will meet U.S. State Department officials including Joseph Yun, the top U.S. negotiator on the North Korea nuclear issue, and congressmen handling diplomatic and military affairs in Washington, D.C. Hong will also meet researchers from the U.S.-Korea Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Interviews with Reuters and the Washington Post are also arranged.
Last month, a group of LKP lawmakers led by Rep. Lee Cheol-woo visited Washington to demand redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons, only to get the cold shoulder from U.S. officials.
“Frankly speaking, the U.S. Department of State had a negative view on the redeployment for fear of heightening tension in the region,” Rep. Lee told reporters Sept. 17 after arriving in Seoul.
Regarding the repeated attempts ― despite a slim chance of success ― political commentator Choi Young-il pointed out the LKP’s need to highlight its presence in domestic politics, in which President Moon Jae-in is enjoying considerable popularity. “Hong is trying to show off his leading role in anti-Moon forces,” Choi said.
“Amid rampant security concerns here, Hong is indicating Moon’s diplomatic incapacity and the government’s international isolation. Such motions to drag the administration down may bewilder American politics and academics.”
Gearing up for the trip, Hong again voiced his support for tactical nuclear weapons. “Only by deploying tactical (nuclear) weapons on South Korean territory can we negotiate with North Korea on an equal footing,” Hong said in an interview with CNN Thursday.
However, his nuclear drive is unlikely to gain support from mainstream American politics. Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst and the Heritage Foundation’s top expert on North Korea, debunked the LKP’s demand in his recent article for The Diplomat.
“The ground-based U.S. nuclear weapons withdrawn from South Korea no longer exist,” Klingner said. “To remove nuclear weapons from those stealthy platforms and put them into underground bunkers in South Korea would be militarily counterproductive.”
The conservative-leaning expert also pointed out bigger threats that would be posed by nuclear weapons in South Korea ― a higher chance of nuclear war if Pyongyang attacks Seoul.
It would provoke Beijing’s further economic retaliations, in protest at the U.S.’s larger presence on the peninsula. “Nuclear weapon bunkers in the South would require defense against North Korean attack, possibly necessitating the deployment of additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batteries.”