Analysis | South Korea’s presidential favourite Moon may force Trump to withdraw demand Seoul pay for ‘$1 billion THAAD missile system’
Leading presidential candidate Moon Jae-in said South Korea should learn to
‘say no to Americans’
US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that South Korea could pay for an advanced US missile defence system could test the strength of the alliance between Seoul and Washington at a time of rising tensions with North Korea, analysts said.
In an exclusive interview, Trump told Reuters on Thursday that he wants South Korea to pay for the $1 billion Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system.
“I informed South Korea it would be appropriate if they paid. It’s a billion-dollar system,” Trump said. “It’s phenomenal, shoots missiles right out of the sky.”
The remarks come as South Korea heads into a presidential election that will likely elect liberal front-runner Moon Jae-in, who has said the next administration in Seoul should have the final say on the deployment of THAAD. Moon’s campaign office said the deployment of THAAD should be immediately suspended until then.
“This almost certainly will become another self-inflicted wound for the alliance and for US foreign policy,” said Daniel Pinkston, a Troy University professor and expert on North and South Korea based in Seoul.