SEOUL—The U.S. military started moving parts of an anti-missile defense system to a deployment site in South Korea on Wednesday, triggering protests from villagers and criticism from the Chinese regime, amid tension over North Korea’s weapons development.
The top U.S. commander in the Asia-Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris, told the U.S. Congress that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would be operational “in coming days.”
The earlier-than-expected steps to deploy system were denounced both by the Chinese regime, and the frontrunner in South Korea’s presidential election on May 9.
South Korea’s defense ministry said elements of THAAD were moved to the deployment site, on what had been a golf course, about 155 miles south of the capital, Seoul.
It said South Korea and the United States had been working to reach “early operational capability” and the battery was expected to be operational by the end of the year.
Harris, testifying before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, said THAAD “will be operational in the coming days.”
