Land swap clears way for THAAD missile system in South Korea

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A company in South Korea has agree to a land swap to allow the U.S.-made THAAD anti-missile system to be placed on what is now a golf resort, South Korea's defense ministry announced.

The U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, battery will be installed on the property as early as this summer to counter a threat of attack from North Korea.

The Lotte Group will trade land in North Gyeongsang province, currently used as a golf resort, for a military-owned property in Gueonggi province. A deal between the Lotte Group and the Defense Ministry was agreed to in November, but stalled over concerns about possible economic retaliation by China against the Lotte Group, the fifth largest conglomerate in South Korea. The company has already experienced problems with doing business in China, including unusual tax audits, surprise fire safety inspections and an order to halt construction of a theme park.

China has said the THAAD radar could be used to gather Chinese military intelligence, but South Korea and the United States insist it will only be directed at North Korea.

The United States and South Korea agreed to the deployment of THAAD in South Korea in 2016, after North Korea tested a long-range rocket and conducted its fourth underground nuclear test.