The candidate locations are Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, Waegwan in North Gyeongsang Province and Gunsan in North Jeolla Province — all of which already house U.S. military bases — said the sources,.

Eumseong County in North Chungcheong Province, which was rumored to have been selected as the site for the advanced missile interceptor until recently, is not being considered, they added.

The South Korean military and the U.S. military  are accelerating their talks on deploying the THAAD battery here despite fierce protests in the candidate cities.