MOFAT Denies Postponing Missile Development

On June 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) rejected a recent Washington Post report as "very far from the truth." The report stated that "Korea postponed the development of a missile with a range of 180 kilometers after the South-North summit."

"We are to negotiate with the United States as soon as possible to develop a missile with a range under 300 kilometers and weighing under 500 kilograms - within the standards prescribed by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)," said a MOFAT official. "However, negotiations are not going well, as the United States is suggesting unacceptable conditions," he added.

The government has been negotiating with the U.S. Government since 1995 to develop a missile with a range between 180 km (the range limit for the Korean peninsula agreed to in 1978) and 300 km.

by Lee Chul-hee