A major South Korean opposition lawmaker said it is possible to impeach President Park Geun-hye over her turning a blind eye to growing public opposition over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the country's soil.
Kim Sang-gon, one of three candidates running for representative of the main opposition Minju Party, said on Saturday that if President Park continues to close her ears to public dissent over THAAD, impeachment demands would be inevitable.
His comments were made during a joint debate among the candidates, according to local conservative daily Chosun Ilbo, amid mounting objections from the public and opposition lawmakers toward Seoul and Washington's decision to house one THAAD battery in southeastern South Korea by the end of next year.
Asked repeatedly about whether to lead the impeachment move, Kim said he would play a pivotal role if a majority of people want it and the party decides on it.
Voices against THAAD are growing louder in the Minju Party as Kim and another candidate Choo Mi-ae demand more aggressive objection to the U.S. missile defense battery, while another candidate Lee Jong-geol is calling for a parliamentary ratification over THAAD.
As the ruling Saenuri Party lost its majority in the April general elections, it would be impossible for the THAAD deployment to be ratified through the National Assembly. The People's Party and the minor Justice Party have strongly opposed the U.S. anti-missile system installation.
Kim said at a radio program on Tuesday that people can reckon on impeachment if President Park continues to run counter to public opinion, which had run neck and neck over the THAAD deployment.
But those in the 20-40 age group see the U.S. missile defense system as causing a number of negative effects militarily, diplomatically and economically.
With the THAAD deployment, South Korea will face difficulties in asking cooperation from China and Russia to deal with the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue as the deployment decision came despite repeated objections from the two neighboring countries.
An arms race is expected in Northeast Asia as the THAAD's X-band radar is capable of snooping on Chinese and Russian territories. Trade between South Korea and China, the world's second-biggest economy, is forecast to slow down, with Chinese consumers and tourists shunning South Korean products and travel to the country.
Six first-term Minju Party lawmakers visited Beijing from Monday to Wednesday to find a breakthrough in strained relations between China and South Korea, which were once hailed by both countries as the best in history.
However, President Park reviled them as sympathizers with China and described other THAAD dissenters as blind followers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Kim said at the radio program that Park's criticism was not directed toward the lawmakers efforts to find a breakthrough in the crisis.
THAAD itself, Kim said, is an issue that should be decided upon in consideration of economic, military and security risks as well as international relations. He said the THAAD decision must be re-examined.
The Minju Party is scheduled to hold a party convention to elect new leadership on Aug. 27.
