South Korea to Announce THAAD Air Defense Deployment Location on Wednesday

South Korea will announce the location of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system deployment later on Wednesday, local media reported.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to Yonhap news agency citing sources in the South Korean defense ministry, the exact deployment location of the THAAD system designed to intercept ballistic missiles will be announced at 15:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

Earlier, it was reported that sites in the city of Daegu in the North Gyeongsang Province and the city of Pyeongtaek in the Gyeonggi Province are being considered for the defense system deployment.

On July 8, South Korea and the United States announced they agreed to deploy the THAAD system with the US military stationed in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threat. The THAAD system is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles at the terminal incoming stage.

Governments of Russia and China protested the decision, stating that the agreement to deploy the THAAD system will have a highly negative impact on global strategic stability. The United States and South Korean officials addressed the concerns of Beijing and Moscow, reassuring that the system is not directed against any third country.