US military has said, its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System is operational in South Korea. A spokesman for the US forces based in South Korea said, Thaad has the ability to intercept North Korean missiles and defend South Korea. However, a US defence official said the system currently only has initial intercept capability and would be beefed up later this year.<br/><br/>Tensions have been rising around the Korean peninsula, with repeated threats from North Korea and the presence of a group of US warships and a submarine.<br/>Pyongyang also continues to defy a United Nations ban on missile tests. <br/><br/>It has carried out two failed missile launches in recent weeks and has said it is ready to carry out its sixth nuclear text at any time.<br/><br/>North Korea has accused the US of pushing the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war after a pair of strategic U.S. bombers flew over the area in a training drill with the South Korean air force yesterday.