Photo taken on March 6, 2017 shows a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arriving in South Korea. The photo was provided by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). (Xinhua/USFK)

The deployment of a U.S. missile shield in South Korea has gotten underway with the arrival of part of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, Seoul's defense ministry said on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Within a hour after CCTV divulged the news, more than 10,000 people had commented on the network's Weibo account, with many Chinese netizens expressing concern over issues of safety and patriotism. Some vowed to promote a new wave of boycotts against Lotte and other South Korean companies.

The hot button issue has already generated 535,000 page views and become one of the most discussed topics on Weibo by 1pm on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang explained in a Feb. 27 press release that China is firm in its resolve to oppose the deployment of THAAD in the ROK, and will resolutely take action to safeguard its own security interests. Any resultant consequences must be borne by the U.S. and ROK.

Lotte Group, a South Korean conglomerate that covers shopping malls to chocolate, has been facing boycotts in China since it approved a land swap outside Seoul last week, allowing South Korea to install the THAAD system.