Protests in South Korea over deployment of US anti-missile system

Hundreds of people took to the streets in South Korea on Wednesday to protest against the deployment of a US anti-missile defence system in the town of Seongju amid heightened tensions over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs.

The US military said the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the rural South Korean town will bolster the ability to defend its ally and the 28,500 US troops stationed there. The top US commander in the Asia-Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris, said the system would be operational "in coming days."

The move comes just days after US President Donald Trump issued a warning to North Korea.

"North Korea is a big world problem and it's a problem we have to finally solve. People put blindfolds on for decades, and now it's time to solve the problem," Trump said.

But South Korea's political opposition says there's been no consultation over the deployment of the missile system, and that the country has been marginalised in recent talks over North Korea.

The people in Seongju say they will continue protesting against the deployment of the missile system. 

TRT World's Shamim Chowdhury has more on the tensions in the Korean peninsula.