China Bullies Mr. Moon. Beijing wants South Korea to remove its missile defenses without helping with North Korea

China Bullies Mr. Moon.  By The Editorial Board
Beijing wants South Korea to remove its missile defenses.
The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 22, 2017 6:10 p.m. ET
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-bullies-mr-moon-1513984245

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is learning that appeasement is a dangerous game. After he bowed last month to Beijing’s strong-arming and limited deployment of a U.S.-built missile-defense system, relations between the two countries seemed to be back on track. But China has now resumed its pressure tactics.

Mr. Moon’s predecessor began to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in March to defend against North Korean missile attack. Beijing objected that the Thaad radar can peer into its airspace and demanded it be dismantled. China stopped its citizens from visiting the country on package tours and harassed South Korean companies. Those unofficial sanctions trimmed almost $7 billion from the Korean economy this year.

After his election in May, Mr. Moon suspended the Thaad deployment, officially for an environmental review. That angered Washington, which had paid for the system. The new President eventually agreed to deploy the launchers that were already imported.

But the delay showed Beijing it could intimidate Mr. Moon, and it pressed him harder. On Oct. 31 Mr. Moon again bowed to China, pledging not to deploy more Thaad units, join a larger U.S. missile-defense network or form a defense alliance with Japan. That compromised South Korea’s security, since the Thaad units deployed so far cover only part of the country and could be overwhelmed by North Korean short-range missiles.

Yet China still wasn’t satisfied, and the reconciliation started to unravel when Mr. Moon visited Beijing last week. He was met by low-level officials at the airport, a clear snub. Then security guards beat journalists traveling with him, one of whom was hospitalized. The two sides failed to issue a joint statement.

This week China raised tensions again by sending three fighter jets and two bombers into South Korea’s air defense identification zone, causing its military to scramble jets to intercept them. Chinese fishing boats, which double as a maritime militia, charged South Korean coast guard vessels, forcing them to fire warning shots. The flow of Chinese tourist groups to South Korea has again dried up.

Beijing wants to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul on the Thaad deployment, and it is pressing the issue. China wants Mr. Moon to remove Thaad entirely and support its proposed deal on North Korea’s nuclear program. The “freeze for a freeze” plan would have U.S. and South Korean forces suspend their joint exercises in return for the North halting its nuclear testing.

That would cripple the U.S.-South Korea alliance, which is Beijing’s goal. Without regular exercises, the two countries’ ability to deter provocations by the North would wither. And Pyongyang could continue its weapons development in secret.

Mr. Moon’s attempts to appease Beijing have only led to fresh demands. He can restore his credibility by deploying more Thaad radars and launchers that South Korea badly needs. If China doesn’t like Thaad, it can help eliminate the threat from North Korea.