Angry residents in a rural Republic of Korea town threw eggs and water bottles at the prime minister on Friday to protest a plan to deploy an advanced US missile defense system in their neighborhood.

Earlier this week, the ROK announced that the missile system called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, will be placed in the southeastern farming town of Seongju by the end of next year to better cope with perceived threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Seongju residents launched protests, saying they fear possible health hazards from the missile system.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, accompanied by the defense minister and others, tried to explain the decision to residents but was immediately disrupted by jeers.