The new government in Seoul moves quickly to stymie a signature part of the U. S. security shield in northeast Asia.
The new president of South Korea put the brakes on an upcoming deployment there of four American missile defense systems, in what has emerged as a contentious domestic fight over how Seoul juggles its relations with China, North Korea, and the United States.
The administration of new president Moon Jae-in, a left-leaning politician who favors rapprochement with North Korea, suspended the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems (THAAD) , in what appears to be a concession to Chinese objections to the deployment. The move is in direct defiance of the American policy to confront North Korea’s growing ballistic and mid-range missile programs.
Moon in some ways is inheriting a political headache from his disgraced predecessor, who greenlighted the deployment of the defense systems before being impeached and removed from office in early March, just as the first two THAAD systems were being installed on a golf course.
Moon, who campaigned on the promise of opening a new era of engagement with North Korea, complained that the THAAD deployment was rushed through, giving his government no chance to take part in the decision making process. Still, he agreed that the two systems that had already arrived would stay, but wanted to pause further deployments.
Moon has said that Seoul needs to “learn to say no” to Washington. But he has also acknowledged that he has to bring Washington along if he is to open talks with North Korea.
