Rep. Hwang Jin-ha, chairman of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, warned against letting the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) become a severely politicized issue.
“Letting the installation of THAAD become a severely politicized issue could make it difficult to make the right decisions when it comes to national security,” Chairman Hwang said. “In consideration of the limited capabilities of our defense system against a North Korean nuclear or missile attacks, it is essential for South Korea to make the most of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces and reinforce additional military capabilities if necessary.”
He said, “It’s natural that the Korean government should take the initiative in making decisions strategically, and the Korean and U.S. governments will have to make concerted efforts to dispel neighboring countries’ misunderstanding and misgivings over the installation of THAAD if it is necessary.”
The following are excerpts of a written interview between NewsWorld and Chairman Hwang in which he touched on such topics as airtight national defense preparedness, barrack environment, and the military’s regaining of public trust.
Question: What are you focusing on while serving as the chairman of the National Assembly National Defense Committee?
Answer: I, the chairman of the committee, strive to promote the ways of providing support for the future-forward and creative development of the military, as well as helping the military evolve into an advanced elite force beloved by people.
I, holding the chairmanship of the committee, attach priority in the following three points: The first is to strengthen military capabilities to establish an airtight national security stance. We strive to explore ways of promoting creative development of the military by securing national security forces to counter North Korea’s asymmetric warfare so that we can overpower North Korea by making the most of our military, economic and technological strengths. These strategies are deemed to greatly contribute to laying a foundation of the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
The second priority is to provide support to innovate the barracks environment. I, chairman of the committee, will do not spare efforts to provide such support as budgetary assistance and legislation and the revision of laws to improve servicemen’s conditions, innovate a barracks environment and conduct close surveillance to make sure our military can be developed into an advanced elite force.
The third priority is to make the military trusted by the people. How the military can regain the public’s trust and military morale, which has been undermined by a series of accidents and corruption scandals surrounding military procurement, is an urgent task that needs to be tackled. This is key to cultivating the military into an advanced, elite force. I will devote myself to making the military beloved by people by making policy recommendations toward the development of the military and exploring ways of promoting collaboration between the military and the private sector for co-prosperity.
Q: What projects do you focus on to ensure the development of your constituency during the remaining term?
A: To name a few to which I will attach priority, there are the early launch and push of the Seoul-Munsan Expressway project, the shortening of the construction period of the Jori-Beopwon Road No. 56 and its flawless construction, Great Train Express line projects in the Seoul metropolitan area and the extension of Subway No. 3 from Daewha to Munsan, and the relocation of military units, staying in the way of expanding and developing of urban areas, establishment of large-size parking lots to reinvigorate the traditional markets, the early push of the establishment of Korea Polytechnics Paju campus, and the establishment of such state-run real estate as Beopwon and Papyeong industrial complexes. I will make sure these projects can be completed at the earliest possible date by holding close consultations with related ministries.
Q: There is worry that North Korea’s successful test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile might incapacitate the Korea Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD) and the so-called Kill Chain, a pre-emptive missile destruction system, Korea plans to establish against North Korea’s nuclear threats. Would you comment as the chairman of the National Assembly National Defense Committee?
A: North Korea’s latest test-firing of a SLBM does not mean disabling of the KAMD and Kill Chain we try to establish, but we need to reestablish our defense system against North Korean missiles. South Korea will have to explore aggressive strategies and power that can deter North Korean threats rather than taking defensive defense strategies, while thoroughly watching North Korea’s provocations into South Korea through the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces’ information resource. History of a more than half-century-long truce on the Korean Peninsula is a testament that it is realistically out of the question for us to expect North Korea’s voluntary changes unless we make strategic changes.
Q: How do we have to cope with Japan’s brazen territorial claim over Dokdo?
A: Japan’s continuous claim over its territorial rights over Dokdo is tantamount to Japan’s apparent provocative behavior that may undermine close relations between the two countries. There is no doubt Dokdo is sure to be Korea’s territory in the historical, geographical, and international law perspectives. Amid the Japanese government’s biased nationalistic tendency of educating future generations that Dokdo is their territory by distorting historical facts, our government needs to strengthen Korea’s actual control over Dokdo and no longer tolerate Japan’s provocations by strengthening international collaboration.
Q: Would you say about the revision of guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation?
A: The revised guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation that allows Japan’s exercising the right to collective self-defense can by no means infringe on Korea’s sovereignty.
Judging the fact that Japan’s strong push for exercising the right to collective self-defense greatly worries neighboring countries and others across the region, Japan should strengthen communication in the perspective of military strategies with all of those countries. American roles cannot be emphasized in this context.
Now that the Japanese government has announced its readiness to fully consult with the Korean government in the course of the implementation of domestic procedures for the effectuation of the revised guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation, it should do its best to build Korea-Japanese relations in a future-oriented fashion.
Q: As the chairman of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, what’s your view of the controversy over the possible installation of THAAD?
A: Letting the installation of THAAD become a severely politicized issue could make it difficult to make the right decisions when it comes to national security. THAAD is a United States Army anti-ballistic missile system designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach.
In consideration of the limited capabilities of our defense system against a North Korean nuclear or missile attacks, it is essential for South Korea to make the most of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces and reinforce additional military capabilities if necessary. it is essential for South Korea to make the most of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces and reinforce additional military capabilities if necessary.
It’s natural that the Korean government should take the initiative in making decisions strategically, and Korean and U.S. governments will have to make concerted efforts to dispel neighboring countries’ misunderstanding and misgivings over the installation of THAAD if it is necessary. ”
And amid public worry rising over the national security situation in the wake of North Korea’s provocation and threat hikes, the government’s ambiguous attitude could perk up public misgivings, not eliminate them, so the government will have to strengthen communication with people.
Q: What are your political tenets?
A: My political philosophy can be summed up as “shilshagushi, cheonhawigong.” Shilshagushi means empirical tradition. It is important to upholding a cause, but the most import thing is politicians, as people’s representatives, should carry out duties in the perspective of people in the interests of people. Cheonhawigong means that public office holders will have to perform all behaviors based on public principles and in an uncompromising fashion. I bet politicians need to carry out public duties in the interests of people, which effectually brings benefits to everyone.
By Chung Sook Oh.
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