[2024 National Audit] Auditor General: "Audit on Suspected Delay in THAAD Base Normalization Completed... Internal Processing Underway"

Choi Jae-hae, the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, stated on the 15th that the suspicion that the normalization of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) base was deliberately delayed during the Moon Jae-in administration has been "fully audited and is currently being handled internally."

Choi made this remark during the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit in response to a question from Jo Bae-sook, a member of the People Power Party.

Choi Jae-hae, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is taking the oath as a witness at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Board of Audit and Inspection held on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Rep. Jo pointed out that the environmental impact assessment results for the THAAD base were released in June last year, stating that "the THAAD electromagnetic waves are only 1/530th of the human protection standard."

She added, "Although the Ministry of National Defense reported that the THAAD radar electromagnetic waves were harmless during the Moon Jae-in administration, this was not disclosed to the public," and further stated, "No environmental impact assessment was conducted for the THAAD base during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration."

In response, Choi said, "I understand that such matters are all included in the audit content."

Earlier, at the end of October last year, the Board of Audit and Inspection launched an audit targeting 11 institutions, including the Blue House National Security Office and Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Headquarters, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, National Police Agency, Korea Defense Research Institute, and the cities of Gimcheon and Seongju in Gyeongbuk, following a public interest audit request related to obstruction and delay of the normal operation of the THAAD base during the Moon Jae-in administration.

The audit requester claimed that the Moon Jae-in administration delayed the normal operation of the THAAD base by methods such as delaying the formation of the environmental impact assessment council, avoiding public disclosure of measurement results on electromagnetic waves and low-frequency noise, and destroying related documents.