US Ready to Move Additional THAAD Systems to South Korea as Quickly as Possible

The Pentagon has said it is "certainly ready" to move additional pieces of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South Korea as "quickly as they can."

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is ready to quickly move the remaining pieces of THAAD system into South Korea, US Department of Defense spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Monday.

"We are certainly ready to move additional pieces in as quickly as we can," Davis told reporters when asked about THAAD.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who officially came to office on May 10, has repeatedly criticized the previous government under impeached leader Park Geun-hye for agreeing to host the THAAD system without first seeking parliamentary approval. Moon subsequently suspended the deployment in order to carry out an investigation into the environmental consequences of the move.

However, on Friday, North Korea conducted their second intercontinental ballistic missile test in less than a month. This latest provocation triggered Moon’s decision to resume deliveries of additional THAAD components.

Davis said the latest North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile was airborne for about 45 minutes, which is the longest in the history of tests conducted by Pyongyang.

Washington and Seoul have a similar stance with regard to the so-called North Korean threat, an issue which is becoming more pressing with the increasing number of missile tests by Pyongyang. In July last year, the United States and South Korea agreed to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea's Seongju County, North Gyeongsang province.