The ruling Saenuri Party has welcomed the Seoul-Washington agreement on the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) battery, expecting that the decision will greatly help guard national security and public safety of South Korea.
 
Saenuri Spokeswoman Kim Hyun-ah said in a briefing that the ruling party will actively work with the government to ensure safety and prevent harmful effects to the environment in the process of deploying and operating the antimissile system.
 
She said that the THAAD decision is a testimony to the solid alliance between Seoul and Washington, calling it a necessary step to take amid escalating threats from North Korea.
 
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea revealed a more cautious stance, saying that the government’s hasty decision is regrettable, although it doesn’t oppose the THAAD deployment in principle.
 
The Minjoo's Spokesman Lee Jae-kyung said that few measures are in sight to handle diplomatic conflicts with China or Russia, which oppose the deployment of the U.S. weapons system in South Korea. The main opposition party proposed to discuss the issue in a meeting of the parliamentary defense committee.
 
The minor opposition People’s Party criticized the government for ignoring China’s opposition and possible economic repercussions that could be caused by strained relations with Beijing.