The government has completed procedures to grant land to the U.S. for the operation of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) unit in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The defense ministry said on Monday that it finished conferring additional land as part of measures to normalize the operation of the THAAD unit. 

The Status of Forces Agreement(SOFA) joint committee, consisting of senior South Korean foreign ministry officials and U.S. military commanders, reportedly signed a document on THAAD land provision on September 8, completing all related procedures.

With that, a total of 730-thousand square meters of land, including 330-thousand provided five years ago, have been granted for the anti-missile battery. The SOFA stipulates such land provision is needed in order for the U.S. military to use South Korean territory.

The handover, following the formation of an environmental impact assessment panel, signifies that efforts to normalize operations of the base have effectively entered its final stage.

In line with its intent to pursue the "normalization" of the THAAD system, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration reportedly plans to swiftly finalize an environmental assessment report and hold public opinion hearings with the aim of completing the entire environmental assessment process by March.