US approves missile sales to South korea

The U.S. State Department has cleared $314 million in possible sales of air defence missiles to South Korea, the Pentagon said on Friday, as tensions re-emerge on the Korean peninsula.

The State Department said it had approved 94 SM-2 missiles used by ships against air threats, along with 12 guidance systems for a total cost of $313.9 million.

The agency, a unit of the Department of Defense, delivered certification on Thursday notifying Congress of the possible sale.

The proposed sale comes after North Korea recently criticised South Korea’s defence purchases from the United States, including the arrival of the first F-35 stealth aircraft.

The sales “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States” by assisting key allies and “will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” a State Department statement said.

North Korea last week tested what the South Korean military said appeared to be two short-range missiles in its second launch in less than a week.

The reclusive North and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, rather than a peace treaty.

South Korea already uses SM-2 missiles developed by Raytheon Co, but is building more missile defence-capable destroyers equipped with the weapon.

The tests come amid a standstill in negotiations between North Korea and the United States, where U.S. President Donald Trump had boasted of ending Pyongyang’s missile tests.

A second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended in deadlock in February, with the U.S. side refusing demands to ease sanctions until Pyongyang takes major steps to end its nuclear program.

Separately, Japan, another key U.S. ally in the region, was also cleared to buy $317 million worth of medium-range air-to-air missiles from Washington, the DSCA said.