South Korea has selected a golf course in the southeastern part of the nation as the "final" site for an advanced American missile defense system to counter threats from North Korea, the defense ministry said Friday.

The decision comes some two and a half months after Seoul and Washington picked the Seongsan anti-aircraft missile base in Seongju, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system by 2017. "We have conducted a simulation-based evaluation on three alternative sites in Seongju. The test results showed the Lotte Skyhill Country Club is the most optimal site for THAAD in terms of six principles," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, told Yonhap News Agency. 

The six principles are operational effectiveness, resident health concerns, infrastructure, overall safety considerations, construction time and cost, and the required preparation time for installation.

Three candidate sites in three different townships were Mt. Yeomsok in Geumsoo, Mt. Kkachi in Sooryoon and the golf course operated by Lotte Group in Mt. Dalma, Chojeon.