South Korea to further develop military systems following cancellation of missile guidelines

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Seoul has said that it will further develop its military systems following the termination of range restrictions for South Korean ballistic missiles under the US-South Korea missile guidelines agreement, according to a 31 May report by the Yonhap News Agency.

“In order to beef up our defence capabilities following the termination of the missile guidelines, we will supplement and develop our military systems,” Yonhap quoted the MND as saying in a report submitted to South Korea's National Assembly.

Moreover, the ministry stated that the country also plans to develop ‘diverse platforms' capable of launching space vehicles from the air and sea, according to Yonhap.

“We will continue to abide by the international non-proliferation regime even after the end of the guidelines,” added the ministry, without providing further details.

The Yonhap report came after the governments of the United States and South Korea announced on 21 May that they scrapped the bilateral ‘Revised Missile Guidelines' agreement that had limited the range of South Korean ballistic missiles to 800 km.

The decision, which effectively allows South Korea to develop and deploy missiles of unrestricted range, was announced in a joint statement issued during a meeting between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, at the White House.