South Korean President Lee reiterates the importance of South Korea-Japan relations; South Korea to fully deploy ballistic missiles with a range of 550-800 km within five years
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  • According to reports, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, during his recent meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, emphasized the importance of the two countries’ bilateral relationship. According to him, as the global economy in going through a rough phase, both Seoul and Tokyo should work together. Lee also insisted on the necessity of joining hands to ensure peace and security in the northeast Asian region. Lee-Aso meeting is expected to bring new hopes to revive the two countries’ relationship that soured recently Lee’s visit to the disputed Dokdo (Takeshima in Japanese) islands in August this year. 1

    In another development, after years of negotiations with Washington, Seoul has finally been able to acquire Washington’s approval to develop ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 kms, nearly triple the previous range of 300 km. While emphasizing that the ballistic missile threat posed by North Korea is the most urgent threat to the Pacific Ocean, the US-Pacific Command (PACOM) argues that South Korea’s improved missile range could bolster South Korea’s ‘defensive capability’ to counter the North. In the meantime, Seoul has expressed its intention to fully deploy the missiles with 550 and 800 kms within the next five years. 2

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