People gather to protest the land swap contract?between the military and Lotte Group?in Seoul, South Korea, Feb 27, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

SEOUL - 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 of Lotte's decision to approve the land swap contract between the military and Lotte through a board of directors meeting.

Lotte International, a Lotte Group unit possesses 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.