Clinton allows Seoul to extend range of missiles

TOKYO — South Korea says the Clinton administration has agreed to conclude an agreement to extend the range of Seoul's missiles.

South Korean government officials said the White House has agreed to announce an agreement before President Bill Clinton leaves office on Jan. 20. Seoul wants to extend the range of its missiles from 180 to 300 kilometers.

Currently, the officials said, a senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official, Song Min-soon, is in Washington and will meet U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation Robert Einhorn. They said the United States has agreed to the extension of the range of the missiles and the remaining issues are minor.

A key difference, the officials said, was a mechanism for monitoring South Korea's missile program. They said the United States wants complete access to South Korean facilities.

Earlier, Washington rejected a South Korean request to extend the range of its missiles to 500 kilometers. This would place the entire North Korea within the range of Seoul missiles.

North Korea has already developed missiles with ranges of more than 2,000 kilometers.