South Korea's Moon orders probe after missile shield surprise

[SEOUL] South Korea's new president, Moon Jae In, ordered an investigation into how the final components of a controversial US missile shield had arrived in the country without his knowledge.

The president initiated the probe after learning that a complete set of six launchers were on South Korean soil, Mr Moon's spokesman, Yoon Young Chan, told a news conference Tuesday.

Previous Defence Ministry statements - including a briefing given to the president last week - had confirmed the deployment of only two launchers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or Thaad.

"Moon found this very shocking" and called Defence Minister Han Min-koo to confirm that the four launchers were already in the country, Mr Yoon told reporters.

How they were deployed, who made the decision and why the information was kept from citizens and the new government were questions that would be investigated, he said.

Mr Moon's predecessor, Park Geun Hye, approved the Thaad deployment, which she said was necessary to protect South Korea from growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

During his election campaign, Mr Moon criticised the decision as undemocratic and called for a review and parliamentary debate on the issue. He also sought to gain the understanding of China, which opposes the deployment, citing security concerns.

The first two mobile launchers arrived in South Korea in March and were deployed in Seongju county, southeast of Seoul. A single Thaad unit consists of six mobile launchers and 48 interceptor missiles, along with ground control and radar systems, according to the defense ministry's website.

BLOOMBERG