Moon vows to undo Park's key external policies

Moon Jae-in, the current front-runner in the race for the next presidency of South Korea, vowed Thursday to reconsider several key foreign policies of impeached President Park Geun-hye, should he be elected. They include the controversial deployment here of a US-led missile defense system and the agreement with Japan about former sex slaves for the Japanese Army during World War II.

“Any decision regarding the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system) should be deferred to the next administration,” Moon, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said at a press conference hosted by Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club in central Seoul.

Despite the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye last week, Seoul and Washington are stepping up preparations to deploy the system here by May next year. 

“It would be inappropriate for us to talk about this now with only an acting president in place, but the deal should surely be re-examined,” Moon said.

The THAAD installment deal was made between the US and Korea in July under the stewardship of President Park. China and Russia have strongly opposed the deployment, citing possible harm in strategic stability in the region. China is reportedly taking retaliatory measures against South Korean companies and South Korean cultural products.

Moon, however, stressed that he values the Korea-US alliance and would seek to strengthen it, adding he expects minor changes in foreign policies and Korea-US relations after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated in January.

“I will make efforts, not only to succeed the foreign policies led by former liberal governments, but to consolidate the Korea-US alliance,” Moon added.

As for the deal with Japan, Moon said it was hard to recognize the legitimacy of the deal because Japan doesn’t recognize it as a gesture of apology and compensation.

“As neighboring partners, Japan and Korea share a long history and culture. I believe that the two nations should work together for peace in Northeast Asia. However, it is crucial for the Japanese government to be more apologetic about the history for a stronger bond,” the 63-year-old lawmaker said. 

To foreign correspondents, he stressed there is no “Korea Risk,” as some pundits have described the president‘s scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil on the thought that it could lead to the collapse of social order in Korea.

“The economy thrives under a stronger democracy. South Korea is undergoing a peaceful revolution toward a more resilient democracy. Now is time to invest in Korea,” he said.

Moon is leading in polls with about 24 percent support among potential presidential candidates.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)