The Ministry of National Defense deliberately omitted information regarding four additional THAAD launchers brought into the country, the presidential office said Wednesday.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, its probe into the development revealed that the Defense Ministry deliberately excluded the information when briefing the de facto presidential transition committee Friday.

“Cheong Wa Dae’s probe has confirmed that the Ministry of National Defense deliberately omitted the fact that four additional launchers have been brought into the country,” said Yoon Young-chan, the chief presidential press secretary.

“(The Defense Ministry’s) draft report included the phrases “six launchers” and “stored at a camp” but they were deleted.”

Yoon said that a number of defense officials including the ministry’s chief of policy were questioned Tuesday and all of the questioned individuals confirmed that the phrases were removed. According to Yoon, the final report used in the briefing stated only that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system had been introduced to South Korea.

Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday confirmed that four THAAD launchers, in addition to the two deployed in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, are currently being stored at a US military base in South Korea.

In revealing the development, the presidential office said that the information had been withheld from President Moon Jae-in and his advisers including National Security Council chief Chung Eui-yong.

The four previously unconfirmed THAAD launchers came to the attention of Cheong Wa Dae officials Friday, after the Defense Ministry’s official briefing, Yoon said.

According to Yoon, deputy security chief Lee Sang-chul questioned a ministry official some hours after the briefing and subsequently informed Chung of his findings. Chung then reported the issue to the president Monday, having met with Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo on the previous day. At the meeting with Chung, Han is said to have indirectly denied knowledge of the issue, saying “has something like that taken place?” to Chung’s question regarding the matter.

Han, however, confirmed that four more THAAD launchers have been brought into the country in a phone conversation with the president Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Han declined to elaborate on his alleged denial, but said there may have been a misunderstanding in his conversation with Chung.

He added that the report was compiled by working level officials and that he did not give any instructions regarding the omission of details regarding THAAD.

Cheong Wa Dae officials added that the reasons for the Defense Ministry’s actions are unclear and that the final version of the ministry’s report was worded in a way that made it “very difficult” to glean information on the issue.

The deployment of THAAD is a serious issue that affects the country and its people, Cheong Wa Dae officials said, hinting the new administration might take a different approach on sharing information with the public.

“(The public) should be informed on the issue. State secrets between South Korea and the US exist, but grave issues should be disclosed,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said, adding that the Defense Ministry’s decision to withhold information from the new administration was incomprehensible.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)