Early THAAD rollout decried

Beijing has urged "an immediate halt" to deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea after Washington and Seoul agreed on its early deployment.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, ROK acting president, confirmed the consensus for "a swift deployment of THAAD" at a joint news conference with visiting US Vice-President Mike Pence on Monday in Seoul.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said "there is no change" in China's position of opposing the deployment. The deployment has angered Beijing and Moscow and chilled ROK-China ties, as its radar can reach up to 2,000 kilometers.