South Korea's president is going to step down.
Past protests
Seoul and Washington agreed in July to deploy the system on the Korean peninsula at a time when North Korea was test-firing missiles on almost a weekly basis.
While opinion polls showed more than 50 percent public support for the anti-missile shield, the announcement to deploy THAAD sparked angry protests in Seoul and in the area where the battery was to be stationed
Communities near the site voiced concern that they would become likely targets for a North Korean strike if hostilities broke out, and that THAAD could endanger the health and safety of people living nearby, especially from radiation exposure from the systems’ powerful radar emissions.
The leader of South Korea’s main opposition party, the Minjoo Party of Korea, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, also came out against THAAD in August, arguing that it will needlessly antagonize relations with China.
China paradox
Beijing has voiced strong opposition to stationing the American missile defense system in South Korea on the grounds that THAAD’s powerful radar could be used against them, and that its deployment increases the U.S. military’s power in the region.
There was growing concern over the summer that China might economically retaliate against South Korea or withdraw its support for international sanctions imposed on North Korea.
Beijing’s criticism has been toned-down in the wake of North Korea’s fifth nuclear test and indications that it is preparing another long-range rocket launch in violation of a U.N. ban on its nuclear and missile development programs.
China continues to support using international sanctions to induce North Korea to engage in dialogue, but at the same time it does not want to induce instability or collapse of the Kim Jong Un government.
Exercising a humanitarian exception in the sanctions, China has actually increased imports of North Korea coal in recent months.
And Beijing has denounced a U.S. Treasury decision this week to sanction a Chinese company, the Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Company, for allegedly doing business with North Korean officials and organizations connected to its weapons program.
Legislative oversight
As Speaker of the National Assembly, Chung Sye-kyun is not supposed to take sides on a political issue like THAAD. But he has been critical of President Park Geun-hye’s decision to deploy the controversial system without consulting the legislative branch.
“The government should have engaged in sufficient or proper communication with the general public and the National Assembly, and also the government has to make some diplomatic efforts with neighboring countries who are opposed to the deployment of the anti-missile system,” he said.
Even though Park’s ruling Saenuri Party lost its majority status in this year’s legislative elections, the executive branch has broad discretionary powers to deal with national security threats and foreign affairs.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said on Tuesday Washington would will speed up the THAAD deployment to South Korea, “given the accelerating pace of North Korea's missile tests.”
The More North Korea Protests New US Missile Shield, The Faster It Becomes A Reality
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/28/t...he-faster-it-becomes-a-reality/#ixzz4LyBg2fDR
The U.S. plans to expedite the deployment of a missile defense shield in South Korea in response to North Korean provocations.
“Given the accelerated pace of North Korea’s missile tests, we intend to deploy on an accelerated basis. I would say as soon as possible,” Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel explained at a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific hearing Tuesday.
The U.S. and South Korea plan to install a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in Seongju before the end of next year. Regular North Korean ballistic missile tests and a powerful nuclear test have led U.S. officials to consider an earlier deployment for the missile shield.
THAAD is a “done deal,” Russel said, reportedly telling Reuters last week that deployment is, at this point, non-negotiable.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/28/t...he-faster-it-becomes-a-reality/#ixzz4LyBnJrkh
North Korea is outspoken about U.S. and South Korean plans for the THAAD missile shield.
Pyongyang will take “more merciless and powerful successive corresponding measures against the US keen to ignite a war by deploying THAAD,” a North Korean military statement explained.
“There will be physical response measures from us as soon as the location and time that the invasionary tool for U.S. world supremacy, THAAD, will be brought into South Korea,” the North Korean military said shortly after the U.S. and South Korea announced their plans to deploy THAAD. “It is the unwavering will of our army to deal a ruthless retaliatory strike and turn the South into a sea of fire and ashes.”
“If THAAD is deployed in South Korea, it will be exposed to nuclear strikes here and there as the primary target,” said a recent Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/28/t...he-faster-it-becomes-a-reality/#ixzz4LyBv2YgZ
