US begins deploying THAAD missile in S. Korea - CNN

According to the US military, the first pieces of a US-built missile defense system designed to mitigate the threat of North Korean missiles arrived at the Osan Air Base on the divided peninsula shortly after Pyongyang launched four ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Monday, CNN reports.

Adm. Harry Harris, commander, US Pacific Command, said in a news release, “Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea."

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and South Korean Defense Secretary Han Min-koo spoke over the phone last week and agreed that THAAD should be deployed "ASAP."