Yoon "Additional THAAD Deployment," Lee "Nuclear-Powered Submarine," Ahn "Advanced Fighter Jet"... Diverse Security Solutions

Terrestrial Broadcasters' Presidential Candidates Debate

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Joon-yi] Presidential candidates presented different solutions regarding security issues. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, proposed nuclear-powered submarines; Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate, suggested additional deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense); and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party presidential candidate, emphasized the need to introduce next-generation fighter jets.

At the joint presidential candidate debate hosted by the three terrestrial broadcasters on the 3rd, the candidates stressed the importance of introducing weapon systems as a solution to security issues.

Yoon, who emphasized the necessity of THAAD, actively defended against doubts regarding China’s opposition and the effectiveness of the weapon system. Promising “additional deployment of THAAD,” Yoon said, “If North Korea launches missiles at a high angle toward the Seoul metropolitan area, THAAD is naturally needed there,” adding, “The interception location does not have to be the metropolitan area; it could be Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, or Gyeongsang-do. The location should be determined militarily.”

Responding to Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party presidential candidate’s criticism that THAAD can defend only 120 degrees and is ineffective against submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) fired from the East Sea, Yoon said, “We need to build a multi-layered defense system,” and added, “I don’t understand which part of THAAD is considered unnecessary.”

Regarding Sim Sang-jung’s question about whether nuclear-powered submarines are necessary at a time when there are many urgent spending needs such as COVID-19 and climate crisis transitions, Lee responded, “COVID-19 is an immediate issue, while nuclear-powered submarines are a future issue, so it is not appropriate to compare them,” and said, “As the importance of the maritime domain increases, it is necessary to secure capabilities for maritime operations.”

Ahn stated, “In modern warfare, the most important thing is air superiority through advanced air force weapons, so high-grade fighter jets are crucial.” He criticized Lee by saying, “The Moon Jae-in administration allocated all the budget to light aircraft carriers, causing the next-generation fighter (FX) project to be suspended,” and asked, “Do you intend to correct this?” Ahn also mentioned, “Many F-5 fighters are very outdated, and a pilot recently died in an accident,” adding, “These problems arise because we are using fighters that should have been retired.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.