The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. South Korean media reported the THAAD system will be placed on a mountain where a South Korea air defense artillery unit is based. China assisted North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, while American-led U.N. troops fought alongside South Korea. Seoul and Washington officials say they need the missile system to better deal with what they call increasing North Korean military threats. An advanced U.S. missile defense system will be deployed in a rural farming town in southeastern South Korea, Seoul officials announced Wednesday, angering not only North Korea and China but also local residents who fear potential health hazards that they believe the U.S. system might cause.

Source: ABC News July 13, 2016 06:45 UTC