청 "Missile Range Limit of 800km Maintained... Consultations Possible with US Side"

Kim Hyun-jong, Deputy Director of the National Security Office, "Revision of the ROK-US Missile Guidelines is a 67-Year-Old ROK-US Alliance Upgrade"

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Son Seon-hee] The Blue House stated that South Korea's ballistic missile range limit of 800 km will be maintained. However, it left open the possibility of consulting with the U.S. on lifting the restriction if deemed necessary for security reasons.

On the 28th, Kim Hyun-jong, Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, said in a briefing regarding the revision of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines, "The 800 km range limit will be maintained for now. This time, we judged that lifting the restriction on the use of solid fuel for space launch vehicles was more urgent."

In particular, Deputy Director Kim emphasized, "The issue of lifting the 800 km range limit will ultimately be resolved 'in due time'." While explaining the recent Hyunmoo-4 ballistic missile test, he also stressed that the current 800 km range is sufficient.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When asked whether the South Korea-U.S. missile agreement is linked to the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing negotiations, Deputy Director Kim responded, "We are still negotiating the SMA, so I have nothing to say yet," adding, "We have not given any concessions. I do not give concessions during negotiations."

Meanwhile, Deputy Director Kim emphasized that the revision of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines also holds significance for strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance. He said, "This revision of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines will upgrade the 67-year-old alliance one step further," and added, "The cooperation within the South Korea-U.S. alliance has officially expanded to a new horizon: space."

Deputy Director Kim evaluated, "If President Park Chung-hee built highways for industrial development, and President Kim Dae-jung built ultra-high-speed internet highways for IT industry development, President Moon Jae-in is pioneering a space highway for the space industry and the Fourth Industrial Revolution."

Deputy Director Kim said, "President Moon stated (at last year's Armed Forces Day event) that our military will proactively respond to any potential threats with stronger and more precise missile defense systems and new submarines. This revision of the missile guidelines aligns with President Moon's philosophy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.