Seoul — South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe into the introduction of four terminal high altitude area defence (THAAD) anti-missile launchers in addition to two deployed by the US military before his election, his spokesman said on Tuesday. Moon was "shocked" to hear that the four additional launchers, deployed to counter the North Korean missile threat, were brought in without being reported to the new government or to the public, presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan told a media briefing. The deployment of the missile system by the US military, agreed by the government of Moon’s predecessor, was a controversial issue in the May 10 presidential election and has infuriated China, North Korea’s lone major ally. The news comes as South Korea says it conducted a joint drill with a US supersonic B-1B Lancer bomber after North Korea’s state media earlier accused the US of staging a drill to practise dropping nuclear bombs on the Korean peninsula. Moon Sang-gyun, a spo...

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