WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo that any threat to its allies will be met with a massive and overwhelming military response, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said in a press release after a phone conversation between Mattis and Young-moo on Wednesday.
"He [Mattis] further emphasized that any threat to the United States, its territories, or its allies will be met with a massive, effective, and overwhelming military response," White said.
The THAAD systems will be deployed on Thursday at a new base in Seongju, 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Seoul, the Yonhap agency reported, citing the Ministry of National Defense, despite numerous protests of Seongjulocal residents.
Moscow and Beijing oppose the THAAD deployment, saying it could further deteriorate the nuclear crisis and provoke North Korean aggression. Russia, alongside China, also criticized the increase in South Korea's joint military activities with Washington as a danger to the peace and stability of the region.
