People's Party moving towards more lenient stance on THAAD following nuke test

South Korea's minor opposition People's Party is moving towards a more lenient stance in regards to the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in the country, political pundits said Monday.

The move apparently comes as Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test conducted earlier this month is causing the general public to lose patience with North Korea. There has been a rise in the number of people calling for greater protection against the North's nuclear and missile threats.

Besides detonating five nuclear devices since 2006, the North has launched intermediate-range and submarine-launched ballistic missiles that all sparked calls here for better countermeasures.

Although the minor party has not yet announced it is abandoning its previous position on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense issue, observers said a rising number of party members are suggesting it should change strategy in the face of North Korean provocations.

The People's Party has been protesting strongly against the deployment of the THAAD battery, claiming the issue must win parliament's approval. The government, on the other hand, says the case does not call for such a procedure.

Political watchers said the change also comes as the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea decided to maintain a relatively neutral stance on THAAD, even after the inauguration of progressive-leaning head Choo Mi-ae.

"We need to think about effective ways to impose sanctions against North Korea after the fifth nuclear test," Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, former head of the party, said, adding that the THAAD system can also be useful when inducing China to take stronger actions with Pyongyang.

"The only bargaining chip we have when it comes to our relationship with China is the THAAD system," Ahn added. (Yonhap)