North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities are accelerating at an "unprecedented" pace, the South's acting president said on Monday, urging the swift deployment of a US anti-missile system that has infuriated Beijing.
Seoul and Washington agreed last year to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests — prompting strong objections from China, which fears it will undermine its own ballistic capabilities.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn said the North had conducted two nuclear tests and fired multiple ballistic missiles last year, averaging two per month.
"Its nuclear and missile capabilities are developing at an unprecedented pace," Hwang said. "They are real and obvious threat."
A "swift" deployment of the THAAD system "is necessary to protect the lives and safety of our people", he added.