The U.S. military said on Friday it plans to forge ahead with building the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, separating the issue from the political crisis in Seoul that led to President Park Geun-hye's removal from office on Friday.

The United States started deploying the first elements of its advanced anti-missile system in South Korea on Tuesday in response to North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear tests.

Leading candidates to replace Park have split over THAAD. One prominent opposition candidate called for a review, while another recently told Chinese media that the deployment of THAAD should be called off.