Moon raises hopes of restoring peace on Peninsula

Controversies surrounding the installation of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea took a dramatic turn soon after Moon Jae-in was elected ROK president last week. On May 12, two days after the election result was declared, the ruling Minjoo Party said it will push for a parliamentary hearing on the illegal transportation and cost of the controversial deployment of the US anti-missile system on ROK soil, rekindling hopes that the decision made by the administration of the impeached and ousted former president Park Geun-hye could be reversed, or at least reviewed.

Moon had made it clear on his campaign trail that he did not support the deployment of THAAD in the ROK. A possible policy change on the issue, which is understandable for a country in political transition, can help it drop the political baggage left behind by Park, which has created a controversy both at home and abroad.

Since Park agreed last year to deploy the US anti-missile system, hardly has a day passed without ROK citizens criticizing the decision. On April 26, when part of the THAAD battery, including radar, was transported to a golf course in southeastern ROK, it ignited strong protests from local residents and peace activists.