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| Independent lawmaker Kim Jong-hoon speaks in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Thursday, after filing a complaint against acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, Defense Minister Han Min-koo, National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se. The lawmaker claimed they gave up the national interest by allowing the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, which he said should have been left to the next government. / Yonhap |
By Kim Rahn
Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Defense Minister Han Min-koo face strong criticism for hastening deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.
Critics say the rush is aimed at completing the installation before the next government is launched following the May 9 election, so the deployment decision cannot be reversed. As THAAD is a key security issue in the election, they say Hwang and Han may have attempted to interfere in the election, failing to maintain their political neutrality.
Key elements of the anti-missile system, including the AN/TPY-2 X-Band radar and mobile launchers, were brought to the site in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, early Wednesday morning through a sudden overnight operation. They were transported only six days after the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) secured the land from the South Korean government and even before due procedures such as an environmental inspection, had been carried out.
The ministry also said Thursday the system will soon be put into actual operation without testing.
It was expected that the installation and operation decision would be handed over to the next government, as the presidential election is only weeks away. The ministry said on April 17 that the deployment was unlikely to be completed in a short time, implying it would not be finished before the election. The previous day, a White House foreign policy adviser also said the installation was up to Korea's next president.
Critics say the government ignored due procedure and the opinion of the South Korean people by taking advantage of public attention being diverted to the election. Considering the leadership vacuum here following former President Park Geun-hye's removal from office, they say Hwang and Han may be just following the U.S. timetable for the installation.
Rep. Lee Jeong-mi of the minor progressive Justice Party denounced the government for pushing ahead with the controversial deployment.
"We don't have a commander-in-chief of the nation's forces, and the election is less than two weeks away. It is violence committed by Hwang who is abusing his power as the acting president without seeking political consensus," she said in a radio interview.
Rep. Song Young-gil of the largest liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also criticized Hwang. "Hwang, who was appointed by the impeached Park, pushed ahead with the THAAD deployment, ignoring the National Assembly's approval, and this is against the Constitution," Song said on Twitter.
"It is a critical time for cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and China to prevent North Korea's provocations, while the next government will be launched soon. This hasty deployment will not help. The next government should deal with it."
Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee of the DPK, a co-head of the Assembly's defense committee, said Han never shared information about the deployment with the committee members and lied about it.
"I wonder whether the government has another purpose for speeding up the installation: it may be an attempt to influence the election," he said.
Independent Rep. Kim Jong-hoon filed a complaint with the prosecution against Hwang, Han, National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se, for pushing ahead with the THAAD installation.
In the meantime, the ministry said the THAAD unit would be put into actual operation soon without a test operation.
"The installation of the elements means South Korea and the U.S. now have the capability to deal with North Korea's provocations," ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said.
Moon's remark is in line with the comment from Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, who said in a House hearing Wednesday that THAAD "will become operational in the coming days."
