[Aftermath of the THAAD Decision] Government Claims Criticism as Rumors, Stands Helpless before Chinese Opposition, and Stresses National Security before the People's Resistance

The government and the ruling party's actions concerning the placement of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the Korean Peninsula plainly show the capability and reality of the various actors in the ruling party in charge of state affairs.They opted to divide public opinion with a surprise announcement instead of publicly discussing the issue and communicating with the public before the decision. When people raised issues with their decision, they regarded such views as strange rumors and now they are busy trying to clean up the mess. They have ignored the impact of the decision in international relations and are force-feeding the public with an optimistic outlook. As the people protest the decision, the government once again responds with a warning about threats to national security. This is the remedy to the aftermath of the THAAD decision, planned and directed by Cheong Wa Dae, the control tower. Seongju Residents Protest "Military’s Private Press Briefing on THAAD ": The Ministry of National Defense organized a private briefing on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system for newsroom chiefs and editors of the press in the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do region at the Army's Second Operations Command on July 18. Some residents from Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do protest in front of the main gate to the operations command. Yonhap News① The Ruling Party Once Again Leads the Way to National DivisionOn July 18, the Saenuri Party mentioned the familiar "external groups" and "professional demonstrators" in connection to the situation in Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the THAAD missiles will be placed. Their words referred to the unexpected incident when Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn was isolated for almost six hours when he visited Seongju without any specific plans on July 15.This day at a meeting of the party's emergency committee, Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk said, "When the prime minister visited Seongju last week, there was some violence due to the involvement of outside forces. We need to take tough measures against the violent actions of the so-called professional demonstrators." In other words, the conflicts in Seongju were simply the incitement of external professionals and not the will of the Seongju residents. It was an attempt to distort and reduce the opposition and resistance of the residents into "violence by outside groups that intervened."Chung also said, "We can no longer ignore such violent behavior of these professionals who appear at the site of every national project such as the Four Major Rivers Project, the construction of the Jeju naval base, and the ROK-US free trade agreement. " He faithfully followed the strategy of forcing the public to take sides by mentioning the involvement of external forces every time a controversial topic, on which the people discussed the pros and cons, emerged.The people in Seongju immediately opposed. Kim An-su, co-chair of the Committee Against the Placement of THAAD in Aeongju appeared on CBS Radio this day and said, "It was my first time hearing about outside forces," and added, "We cannot accept their attempt to push ahead with an investigation while accusing us of being rioters."② Security Agencies Take Action First, and Think LaterThe Ministry of National Defense is leading the way in placing the THAAD system, busy pushing ahead with the plans while putting off dealing with the consequences for later. In the process, they ended up contributing to the distrust and confusion by repeatedly changing their words.Just three days before the ministry announced plans to place the THAAD missiles in Korea, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said before the National Assembly, "Nothing has been decided yet." Then they went ahead and internally decided the location of the THAAD missiles, yet delayed the announcement, eventually making the public more nervous and fueling regional conflicts. After the announcement, rather than persuade the residents and the public, the government was busy trying to silence the "groundless stories." They even regarded reasonable doubts such as the noise issue, a problem already raised in connection to the THAAD base in Japan, as groundless. The government simply responded by distributing a seven-page press release titled, "Our Position on the Rumors about THAAD," instead of actively trying to explain the details.③ Foreign and Economic Ministries Just Watching the "Fire"Following the diplomatic opposition from China and Russia, there are now talks of an economic retaliation. In such a situation, our foreign and economic ministries seem to have no other measures to calm the public other than to present an optimistic outlook. After the THAAD announcement, China has continued to threaten harsh reprisal, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance simply announced, "We do not want to be hasty in determining what measures or actions will be taken in the current situation," (spoken by foreign ministry spokesperson Cho June-hyuck) and "We expect them to separate politics with the economy. There will be no massive retaliation," (spoken by Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Strategy and Finance Yoo Il-ho).④ Cheong Wa Dae Hides AgainCheong Wa Dae, which is behind the latest decision, repeatedly mentioned national security as it continued on its lone path.On July 14, the day after the THAAD announcement, President Park Geun-hye said, "If the nation and the people lose sight of security due to political conflicts caused by the clash and enmity of interested parties, the Republic of Korea would no longer exist." Then when opposition among Seongju residents intensified after she left for the ASEM summit, she instructed, "Under the leadership of the prime minister, do the utmost for national security and the public's safety." Again, the president refused to personally persuade the people.