MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th July, 2020) South Korea is allowed to develop a solid-propellant space rocket under the revised missile guidelines with the United States, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the president's deputy national security adviser.
In 1979, South Korea and the US signed missile guidelines, curbing the former's ballistic missile development. Since the 2000s, the agreement has been revised several times. In the wake of North Korea's nuclear test in 2017, a payload cap of 500 kilograms (1,102 Pounds) for the South's ballistic missiles with ranges of 800 kilometers (497 miles) was scrapped.
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong said that the restrictions on solid-fuel rocket development have been lifted, with immediate effect.
According to the official, the move will boost the country's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Under the accord, South Korea is also able to launch low-earth orbit military spy satellites, flying at the altitude of 500-2,000 kilometers. Kim noted that it will help keep watch over the entire Korean Peninsula around-the-clock.
The range and weight curbs remain in place, but can be lifted "in due time" if necessary, he added.
