28 February 2017

News Story: S.Korea's Lotte decides to offer golf course for THAAD deployment & S.Korea to speed up THAAD deployment process after land swap deal with Lotte

S.Korea's Lotte decides to offer golf course for THAAD deployment

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- 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).

A South Korean defense ministry official told Xinhua that the ministry was informed by the golf course of Lotte's decision to approve the land swap contract between the military and Lotte through a board of directors meeting.

The ministry official said the signing ceremony would happen as early as Tuesday, adding that more details would be announced separately after the signing.

Lotte International, a Lotte Group unit possessing the golf course, held the board meeting to decide on whether give a green light to the deal to exchange military land for the golf course in southeast South Korea.

Seoul and Washington agreed in July last year to deploy one THAAD battery to the golf course in Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province by the end of this year.

The land swap deal was initially scheduled to be inked in January, but it was delayed amid strong oppositions at home and abroad. On Feb. 3, Lotte held a board meeting, in which it failed to approve the contract.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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S.Korea to speed up THAAD deployment process after land swap deal with Lotte

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea is expected to speed up the process of deploying the U.S. missile shield in its soil after Lotte Group, the country's fifth-largest conglomerate, decided to give a green light to the land swap contract with the defense ministry.

A South Korean defense ministry official told Xinhua that he was informed of Lotte's decision to approve the deal to exchange its golf course in southeast South Korea for military land in Gyeonggi province near the capital Seoul.

Lotte International, a Lotte Group unit possessing the golf course where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery is set to be sited, held a board of directors meeting earlier in the day to approve the deal.

Seoul and Washington agreed in July last year to deploy one THAAD battery by the end of this year. The site was changed in November into the golf course amid strong oppositions from residents.

The ministry official said the signing ceremony would happen as early as Tuesday, adding that more details would be announced separately after the signing.

Read the full story at Xinhua