By Yoo Seungki
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Residents living in South Korea's southeast regions, where the U.S. missile shield is set to be deployed, came up to the capital city Seoul on Thursday to rally against the decision to install one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in their hometown.
Setting works for bread and butter aside, tens of locals from the Seongju county and the Gimcheon city in North Gyeongsang province took to the bustling streets in front of the Lotte Department Store near the headquarters of Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate.
At a near-zero, windy day, the locals and advocacy group activists chanted for "Stop THAAD" and "We want peace" as the deal to exchange military land for the Lotte-owned golf course can speed up the deployment procedures if it is signed.
Local media speculations say the signing is imminent and that Lotte International, a Lotte Group unit which owns the golf course, the THAAD deployment site, may hold a board of directors meeting within this month to grant a final approval to the land swap contract.
Seoul's attempt to swap military land for the Lotte property was made to skip the process of getting a green light from the National Assembly. If South Korea purchases a new land for military purpose, the parliamentary approval will be required for budget.
Read the full story at Xinhua