Revised Missile Pact With US to Facilitate South Korean Spy Satellite

South Korea and the United States have agreed to revise their joint missile guidelines to facilitate South Korea’s plans to build a spy satellite.

The first home-launched satellite of South Korea, carried by rocket "Naro (KSLV-I)," is launched from Naro space center in Goheung, South Korea on Aug. 25, 2009. Korea Aerospace Reseacher Institute via Getty Images

SEOUL—South Korea and the United States have agreed to revise their joint missile guidelines to facilitate South Korea’s plans to build a spy satellite by easing rules on rocket propellants, Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun-Chong said on Tuesday.

Under the current guidelines, last amended in 2017, South Korea cannot build rockets using solid fuel engines, posing a setback for its plans to develop a military spy satellite by the late 2020s.