US supports S Korean plan for ballistic missiles

Chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. Carl Levin has expressed support for South Korea's development of longer-range missiles if they are deployed in a "defense 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 late Tuesday. Levin 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." South Korea is looking to possess ballistic missiles with the range of 800 km rather than the current 300 km through amending an agreement with Washington.