Mattis meets with South Korean leaders; talks THAAD

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with Acting South Korean President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn and National Security Advisor Kim Kwan-Jin in Seoul today to reaffirm the importance of United States alliance with their government, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

Both South Korean officials "impressed upon Secretary Mattis the importance of close cooperation in the face of a growing North Korea nuclear and ballistic missile threat," with Mattis responding that "the alliance would continue to take defensive measures in response to [these] threat developments, such as the stationing" of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to the  Korean Peninsula, according to the Pentagon.

Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, said last November that THAAD's deployment to South Korea is a "key" aspect of U.S. military strategy and is scheduled to occur sometime in 2017.