By Yoo Seungki
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Koreans opposing the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in the country are being reviled as blind followers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) or sycophant betrayers.
Such seditious moves are being driven by some of conservative local media outlets. South Korean President Park Geun-hye appeared to decide on Monday to join the move by criticizing opposition lawmakers visiting Beijing as sympathizers with China and describing other THAAD dissenters as pro-DPRK followers.
Branding those unfavorable to government policies as traitors or pro-DPRK followers, seen in a few cases under the past military dictatorships, seems not to be easy this time as the president is required to stigmatize about half of the South Koreans as turncoats.
Public opinion has run neck-and-neck over whether the THAAD deployment is in South Korea's national interests. Recently, more South Koreans, especially those in their 20s to 40s, are changing their minds to disagree with the THAAD deployment decision.
THAAD dissenters here do not brand those in favor of the U.S. missile defense system as blind pro-American followers though Seoul was pressured by Washington into making the hasty decision as part of the U.S. "Pivot to Asia" strategy to supervise and check China and Russia together with its allies in the region.
Anti-THAAD lawmakers demand an open debate at the National Assembly to discuss whether the U.S. missile defense battery is really in South Korea's interests militarily, diplomatically and economically.
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