Seoul’s Hwang urges Thaad deployment
Acting president warns against North
SEOUL: North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities are accelerating at an “unprecedented” pace, the South’s acting president said yesterday, urging the swift deployment of a US anti-missile system that has infuriated Beijing.
Seoul and Washington agreed last year to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests — prompting strong objections from China, which fears it will undermine its own ballistic capabilities.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn said the North had conducted two nuclear tests and fired multiple ballistic missiles last year, averaging two per month.
“Its nuclear and missile capabilities are developing at an unprecedented pace,” Mr Hwang said. “They are real and obvious threat.”
A “swift” deployment of the Thaad system “is necessary to protect the lives and safety of our people”, he added.
Within South Korea, voices opposing the installation have grown louder, with some opposition candidates pledging to scrap the agreement if they win a presidential election due this year.
The plan has also angered Beijing, which has imposed a string of measures seen in the South as economic retaliation, including effectively barring K-pop stars from performing on the mainland and not authorising South Korean airlines to operate charter flights between the countries.
“There are various concerns about economic retaliation from Thaad but the relationship between South Korea and China did not happen in just one or two years,” Mr Hwang said.
Separately, Mr Hwang yesterday also raised the necessity to use “wisdom” to resolve the diplomatic standoff with Japan over the erection of a statue symbolising the “comfort women” who were forced to work in Japan’ s wartime military brothels.
“For the sake of future relations between South Korea and Japan, it is necessary for the [South Korean] government to use wisdom on how to resolve [the issue] and talks are now under way through various routes and channels,” Mr Hwang said during a news conference.
“It need more time, but efforts will be made to overcome [the issue],” he said.
Mr Hwang’s remarks came amid heightened tensions between the two countries after Japan recalled Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine from Seoul and consul general Yasuhiro Morimoto from Busan in protest at the erection of the statue, similar to one erected in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, by a civic group near the Japanese consulate in Busan.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed regret last Friday over the erection of the new statue, adding Japan will continue to strongly demand that South Korea implement a 2015 deal over the issue of Korean comfort women.
Under the deal, which said the comfort women issue will be “finally and irreversibly” resolved, South Korea said it will also strive to solve the issue of the statue in front of the embassy in Seoul “in an appropriate manner”.
Japan transferred ¥1 billion to South Korea to care for survivors and their families as part of the deal.
Mr Hwang is serving as acting president while the Constitutional Court deliberates parliament’s impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, which has sent the government into a political vacuum.
The ruling Saenuri party is to change its name for the second time in five years, it said yesterday, as it seeks to dissociate itself from the corruption scandal surrounding Ms Park.
“We will begin collecting public suggestions starting today and change the party name as soon as possible,” said party chairman In Myung-jin.