Park impeachment may delay US missile defense in SKorea

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

The deployment of an American anti-missile system in South Korea has been called into doubt by Seoul’s main opposition party, which demanded a delay Tuesday due to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over a power abuse scandal.

Seoul and Washington were planning to station the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the peninsula by May despite strong opposition from China, Russia and North Korea.

Beijing and Moscow see THAAD as a threat, while South Korea and the United States have made no secret of being motivated to counter Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear ambitions.

Park’s Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is in temporary charge until Seoul’s Constitutional Court decides whether to back last Friday’s parliamentary vote to impeach the president.

The process could take up to six months with another 60 days permitted for a potential snap election to pick a new leader.

During that time, Hwang is set to oversee the implementation of contentious policies such as state-published history textbooks – and THAAD.

“The schedule must be reviewed,” the Democratic Party insisted via a statement. “An administration impeached by the people cannot push forward the project.”

Galvanized following the success of its impeachment motion and the tainting of the ruling party by Park’s scandal, the liberal bloc is generally united in calling for controversial decisions to now be left up to the next president.

One of the main THAAD concerns for opposition lawmakers – apart from environment and health claims – is the impact on South Korea’s relationship with China.

Some analysts believe that Beijing has already started punishing the South through unofficial trade restrictions since Seoul and Washington announced their missile defense plan earlier this year.

Chinese imports of popular South Korean cultural products like TV shows and music were down nearly 22 percent on-month in October, marking a second consecutive drop according to Bank of Korea data released Monday.

A further example has been China’s regulatory probe of Lotte operations in Beijing, Shanghai and other locations after the South Korean conglomerate agreed a deal with Seoul to give up land back home for a THAAD battery.

Lotte denies knowledge of the purpose of the investigation, but the development has fueled wariness in the South of alleged Chinese bullying tactics.