SEOUL — The US and South Korea announced on Friday that they had reached an agreement to deploy an advanced missile defence system in the South in the face of growing threats from the North.

The two allies began talks on deploying the US THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) system to the Korean peninsula in February when the North launched a long-range rocket following a fourth nuclear test in January.

"Based on these consultations, the (South) and the US made an alliance decision to deploy THAAD... as a defence measure to ensure the security of the (South) and its people," the defence ministries of the two countries said in a joint statement.

It did not reveal exactly when and where in the South the system would be deployed, saying the two nations were in the final stage of selecting a potential venue.

China on Friday said it strongly opposed deployment of the system and warned that it would "seriously damage" regional security in northeast Asia. — AFP