WASHINGTON ― Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that he would not take issue with South Korea’s development of longer-range missiles if they are deployed in a “defensive and non-threatening” way.

“If they want to do it in a non-threatening way, totally defensive way at its own expense, I don’t have any problem going on,” he said at the National Press Club.

The two countries have been in consultations for the past few months as North Korea has continuously sought to develop longer-range delivery vehicles and military nuclear technology.

Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said he does not have “any strong feeling” on Seoul’s push if it is done in a way that “should not be viewed as a kind of offensive, taking an offensive position or threatening position towards China or toward North Korea.”

The State Department confirmed that Washington is continuing to talk with Seoul on the missile matter.

“We share the Republic of Korea’s security concerns, and we cooperate with Seoul to address its needs and we routinely seek to identify ways to improve our planning efforts, which include the full range of alliance capabilities ― including conventional forces, missile defense, nuclear capabilities, and strategy doctrine,” a department spokesperson told Yonhap News.

“We must consider this issue responsibly and ensure that any steps we take to ensure strong Republic of Korea defense capabilities are consistent with our shared regional and global nonproliferation objectives,” the official said on the customary condition of anonymity.

Under a 2001 revision to the initial agreement, Seoul is banned from developing ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 km. But it does not restrict the range of cruise missiles, which are much slower and easier to intercept.

It also stipulates that a payload must weigh no more than 500 kg to block the development of nuclear warheads.

Seoul has apparently moved fast to revise the missile pact due to continuing threats from the North and considering the Washington government may have less flexibility over the sensitive issue ahead of its upcoming presidential election in November.

The US has been reluctant over the range extension as it could undermine its initiatives of non-proliferation and arms control.

Seoul signed the first bilateral missile pact with Washington in 1979, despite the range limit of 180 km, on the condition the U.S. would assist with the South’s missile technology development.

After years of negotiations with the U.S. amid the North’s push for the development of advanced missile technology, the two allies agreed in 2001 to revise the original pact to extend the range to 300 km.

The longest-range North Korean ballistic missile, deployed since 2007, is the Musudan missile with a range of 3,000-4,000 km. This missile, in theory, brings Guam, a key U.S. strategic base in the Asia-Pacific region, within its range.

The longest-range North Korean missile under development is the Taepodong-2 missile, presumed to have a range of more than 6,700 km, enough to hit parts of Alaska, but still short of reaching the US mainland. The missile’s tests have so far failed.

(From news reports)