SEOUL, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The X-band radar, a core element of the U.S. missile defense system - Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), will arrive in South Korea in the near future, Yonhap news agency reported Thursday citing military officials.

An unidentified South Korean military official was quoted as saying the X-band radar will not arrive here Thursday, but the official noted that the radar will be delivered to South Korea soon and be transported to a military base of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

Local broadcaster KBS reported Wednesday that the AN/TPY-2 radar will arrive in the Osan air base, some 60 km south of the capital city Seoul, on Thursday morning.

An official with the Combined Forces Command (CFC) told Xinhua that the news reports cannot be confirmed.

The CFC official said via phone that even though other THAAD elements, including the X-band radar, arrive here, it will not be made public for operational secrets.

On March 6, two mobile launchers and part of the THAAD equipments were delivered the Osan air base and moved to an unknown USFK base.

According to local news agency Newsis, the mobile launchers were transported to Camp Carroll, a USFK logistics base in southeast South Korea.

The base is just 17 km away from a golf course in Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province where the THAAD battery is set to be deployed.

Other THAAD elements would allegedly be kept in the base until the construction of the THAAD site is completed.

THAAD is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, an X-band radar and the fire and control unit. Other elements are expected to be brought to South Korea one after another.

The hurried push for THAAD was aimed to make it more difficult to put back the deployment decision as an early presidential election is scheduled to be held on May 9.

In July last year, Seoul and Washington agreed to install one THAAD battery by the end of this year. The schedule was brought forward to June and August and now as early as April.

Many observers said THAAD is a trigger to make South Korea become part of the U.S. missile defense networking in Northeast Asia to contain China and Russia.

China and Russia have strongly opposed the U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea as it breaks regional strategic balance and threatens security interests of the two countries.

THAAD's X-band radar can peer deep into the territories of the two countries.