Prosecutors have indicted former top national security officials from the Moon Jae-in administration for allegedly leaking classified information to civic groups opposing the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system—an apparent attempt to delay its full installation.
Chung Eui-yong, former head of the presidential National Security Office, and his former deputy, Suh Choo-suk, were charged without detention. Prosecutors allege Suh instructed staff on at least eight occasions to share sensitive details—including information on the transport of THAAD equipment and construction materials—with protest groups.
Among those groups were three organizations previously designated by South Korea’s Supreme Court as pro-North Korea entities, including the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification, which advocates unification under North Korean leadership.
The leaked material reportedly included second-tier military secrets. This amounted to a self-inflicted blow to national security.
THAAD’s deployment was approved under the Park Geun-hye administration as a countermeasure against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. The move drew fierce opposition from China, and anti-THAAD activists staged prolonged protests outside the Seongju base in southeastern South Korea, citing health concerns over electromagnetic radiation from the system’s radar.
In 2020, amid escalating tensions, South Korean and U.S. military authorities launched a covert transport operation to avoid clashes. Prosecutors say Suh tipped off protesters in advance, allowing them to block access roads with vehicles and disrupt the mission. Rather than quelling resistance, Moon administration officials actively enabled it.
At the time, the Moon government had effectively ruled out additional THAAD deployments, participation in the U.S. missile defense network, and the formation of a trilateral military alliance with the United States and Japan—positions widely seen as concessions to Beijing. The leaks were clearly part of a broader effort to delay THAAD’s rollout in line with those unofficial commitments.
Despite conducting multiple tests that found the radar posed no risk to human health, the Moon administration reportedly withheld the results, fearing they would undercut opposition to the system. The result was a five-year delay in full deployment. In doing so, the administration effectively undermined South Korea’s own missile defense capability to appease China.
The THAAD base was finally completed under President Yoon Suk-yeol. Now the courts must uncover the full truth—and ensure those responsible are held to account.
