President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae In on Friday reportedly traded assurances on defense cooperation against North Korea — including boosting Seoul's missile capabilities.
"The two leaders noted the need to strengthen the Republic of Korea's defense capabilities to counter provocations and threats from North Korea, and reached an agreement in principle to revise the 'missile guideline' to the extent hoped by the South Korean side," Yonhap news agency quoted a spokesman saying, Agence-France Press reported.
In a phone call, Trump gave "conceptual approval" to a multi-billion dollar equipment sale to Seoul, the White House said in a statement, The Hill reported.
The South Korean leader, for his part, pledged to continue diplomatic and economic pressure on Pyongyang, the Hill reported.
The call came a day after the United States and South Korea concluded annual joint military exercises by flying two B-1B supersonic bombers and a bevy of fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.
According to AFP, the South Korean president has previously urged limits on Seoul's missiles to be loosened in a conversation with Trump — and the Pentagon had said it was "actively" considering the revision.
The South, which hosts 28,500 U.S. troops to defend it, is banned from building its own nuclear weapons under a 1974 atomic energy deal with Washington, which instead offers a "nuclear umbrella" against potential attacks.
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