THAAD reversal

Moon’s snap decision likely to backfire

President Moon Jae-in’s recent decision to temporarily install the four remaining launchers for the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery is hard to understand.

Moon gave the instruction during an emergency National Security Council meeting Saturday following North Korea’s test-fire of what was believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could strike at the heart of the United States.

First, the deployment would have little to do with countering the North’s ICBM capability. THAAD is a terminal-stage missile interceptor put in place in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and aimed at protecting the central and southern parts of the country.

Secondly, Moon’s decision appeared to have come without due process.

Moon put the deployment on hold almost immediately after taking office. He said he was shocked to find the previous government speeding up the deployment without reaching a broad consensus. Then, he said he was given a misleading briefing. A three-star general, who led working-level preparations, was fired with the outgoing Defense Minister Han Min-koo being investigated. The Blue House argued there was no proper environmental survey, ordering a full-fledged one that may take more than one year.

Therefore, Moon finds himself on a flimsy patch as he ordered the prompt deployment.

Moon’s decision will likely anger the Seongju residents who have long laid siege to the golf course where two launchers and a radar system are in place. They naturally feel confused and betrayed about a zigzag in the government’s policy and there is a high possibility they will try to block the entry of the four launchers and violent clashes will ensue.

Also, the operation of the THAAD system will likely be a challenge because it may have to rely on generators for electricity needs because no permanent facilities will be built until the survey is finished and construction gets approved.

Finally, Moon’s decision has further alienated China. After the Friday launch, the Chinese government called for the immediate dismantling of the existing battery in stronger terms than it condemned Pyongyang.

Cheong Wa Dae explained it had notified Beijing in advance of its decision but obviously that didn’t have any calming effect on China. It is widely speculated that a second summit between Moon and Chinese leader Xi Jinping may not be possible in the near future. During their first summit held early July in Hamburg, Germany, the two tussled over THAAD.

By many accounts, it is not short of a boneheaded decision that is comparable to the one made by his predecessor Park Geun-hye to declare the THAAD deployment decision a year ago to penalize Beijing for its failure to join in efforts to punish the North for its provocative acts. Moon should have been more thoughtful.