U.S. and allies may pay off Pyongyang to stop missile exports

TOKYO — The United States and its Asian and European allies are considering a proposal to buy North Korean intermediate-range missiles to end their exports to Middle East clients.

The Tokyo Shimbun daily said the proposal would bring together the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European Union. The daily said on Monday that these countries would pay to rid North Korea of its stock of intermediate-range missiles.

The effort, the newspaper said, would focus on buying and destroying all of North Korea's No-Dong-1 missiles. The missiles have a range of between 1,000 and 1,300 kilometers and have been sold to Iran and Libya, Middle East Newsline reported.

In exchange, North Korea would pledge to end all No-Dong exports, the newspaper said. Pyongyang would allow international inspections of North Korean missile production facilities.

Hours later, a Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo denied the report. Pyongyang is said to have sold 540 missiles to the Middle East since 1985. This included the sale of 50 No-Dong missiles.

Last year, North Korea demanded $1 billion in compensation for the end of its missile exports. The United States at the time rejected the demand.