A U.S. Navy admiral whose command is responsible for an advanced missile-defense system will visit South Korea next week, government sources said Wednesday, amid ongoing debates here over whether Seoul should adopt the U.S.-led system.

Adm. Cecil Haney, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, will arrive in Seoul on Sunday for a four-day stay, to meet with key military officials in South Korea, including Defense Minister Han Min-koo, sources familiar with the matter said.

Haney also plans to meet Adm. Choi Yun-hee, the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, during his visit and visit U.S. forces stationed in Korea to encourage them, the sources said.

His first visit to the country is seen by some inside sources to be aimed at pressuring Seoul over the deployment of the THAAD system.

Washington has expressed its willingness to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery on the Korean Peninsula to better protect South Korea and some 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in the country from North Korea's threats.

A defense ministry official here denied such speculation and said Haney's visit has nothing to do with the THAAD issue.

Seoul and Washington have said no official consultations or decisions have taken place on the matter. Seoul has made it clear that it has no plan to purchase the system. (Yonhap)