Washington Post: South Korea Wants More Firepower

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, campaigning for office, had favored diplomacy over military force in handling the impoverished nation to the north. Two intercontinental ballistic missile tests by North Korea during July have forced Moon to shift his stance. “If the ICBM had been launched on a normal trajectory, the missile could theoretically have reached Chicago and perhaps even New York, experts said after analyzing the launch,” reports Anna Fifield for the Washington Post. Seoul, South Korea’s largest city and capital, is less than 100 kilometers away from Pyongyang. “Under an agreement written in 1979 but revised in 2001 and 2012, South Korea is limited in the capabilities it can pursue with its own missile program. The guidelines limit South Korean ballistic missiles with a range of 500 miles to carrying a half-ton payload, but the Moon administration is now seeking to double that to one ton.” South Korea's Increased missile capability and reliance on the United States may annoy China. But unless China participates in countering North Korean belligerence, the South has little choice but to prepare a strong defense against the brutal Kim regime. – YaleGlobal