U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and South Korea's Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo have agreed to push ahead with the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system as scheduled, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on Tuesday morning.

Mattis and Han spoke over the phone and shared the view that both should "strengthen the counter-capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," the MND said in a written statement, citing the potential risk of a DPRK intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch following Kim Jong Un's new year's speech.