Washington cancels Seoul’s missile limits
South Korea and the US have scrapped the Revised Missile Guidelines, which will allow longer-range missiles than the Hyunmoo-2 pictured here to be developed. (US DoD)
South Korea and the US have torn up their bilateral agreement that has limited the range of Seoul’s ballistic missiles since an accord was first signed in 1979.
The announcement came on 21 May, after Presidents Joe Biden and Moon Jae-in met in the White House. The current Revised Missile Guidelines document limits South Korean ballistic missiles to a range of 800km, but Seoul will now be free to deploy missiles of any range.
‘I’m pleased to announce the end of the missile guidelines,’ Moon commented.
‘This is a symbolic and substantive measure to demonstrate the solidity of the ROK-US alliance
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny
Governments worldwide are scrambling to decouple defence supply chains from dependency upon strategic rivals, but countries could struggle to do it all themselves.
-
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.