ROK conglomerate will damage its business if it agrees to missile deal

The Republic of Korea's retail giant Lotte Group is now at the center of the political storm raging between the ROK and China over the former's decision to deploy a US missile defense system.

Under a ROK government-proposed deal, a golf course, currently owned by Lotte, could be used as the site for the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system. A decision by the company's board giving a green light to the deal could be made at the end of this month.

The ROK company should be aware that what it is considering is not at all a normal business deal as it is politically driven. This may well explain why it is drawing strong opposition from people in both countries.