(VOVworld) - The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) will be operational “in the coming days,” US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris told Congress on Wednesday.

Protesters shouted slogans Wednesday, as an advanced U.S. missile defense system, the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, was being installed in South Korea. Photo: Lee Jin-man/AP

Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Harris said the THAAD system will be "operational in the coming days to be able to better defend South Korea against the growing North Korea threat." He added that it is a defensive system that will help protect South Korea from ballistic missile attacks from North Korea.