SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs have agreed to deploy a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea this year to counter the threat from North Korea, South Korea’s defense ministry said on Friday.     U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is on his two-day visit to Seoul, meeting South Korean top officials including Defense Minister Han Min-koo. “The two agreed to deploy and operate Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system within this year as planned, which is a defense system solely against North Korea’s missile threat,” the South Korean defense ministry said in a statement, referring to the meeting between Han and Mattis. 
U.S., South Korea agree to deploy THAAD this year, South says