02 September, 2017
A group of lawmakers on Thursday proposed a parliamentary resolution calling on President Moon Jae-in to scrap a South Korea-U.S. missile guideline, saying it has restricted Seoul's missile capabilities and commercial rocket development.
The 1979 guideline was last amended five years ago to extend the allowed range of South Korean ballistic missiles to nearly 500 miles and increase their payload to 1,100 pounds.
It came as USA and South Korean forces were nearing the end of the 10-day annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint exercises, which the North regards as a rehearsal for invasion.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired a missile over Japan, prompting Trump to insist that "all options were on the table" in an implied threat of pre-emptive military action.
But despite Pyongyang's propaganda in favour of the ICBM Hwasong-14, the weapon of choice has recently been the intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) Hwasong-12.
The White House did not mention the voluntary bilateral agreement but said the two leaders agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation and South Korea's defense capabilities.
The Minister of foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian said after a few months, North Korea can launch an Intercontinental ballistic missile.
The South wants to raise the missile cap to boost its defenses against the reclusive North, which is pursuing missile and nuclear weapons programs in defiance of global warnings and United Nations sanctions.
North Korea defends its weapons programs as necessary to counter perceived US aggression, such as recent air maneuvers with South Korean and Japanese jets.
However, Trump said after the latest missile test that negotiations with Pyongyang were "not the answer".
Calls are also mounting in the South for Seoul to build nuclear weapons of its own to defend itself as nuclear-armed North Korea's missile stand-off with the United States escalates.
Park said the two leaders reaffirmed the need to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue by applying maximum sanctions and pressure.
