S. Korea formally signs land swap deal with Lotte for THAAD

A woman protests against the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in front of the Lotte Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 27, 2017. Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, decided Monday to offer its golf course to be used as a site for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho)

SEOUL, Feb. 28 - South Korea's defense ministry on Tuesday signed the land swap deal with Lotte Group for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a ministry official said.

The official told Xinhua that the contract to exchange military land for the Lotte-owned golf course was formally signed earlier in the day.

Lotte International, a Lotte unit possessing the golf course where the U.S. missile shield is set to be sited, held a board of directors meeting Monday to approve the contract.

Seoul and Washington abruptly announced a decision in July last year to deploy one THAAD battery by the end of this year. The site was changed in September into the golf course in Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province.