US takes advantage of crisis to sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to South Korea.
US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed in phone calls on Monday to strengthen joint military capabilities in light of the escalating nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, the White House said in a statement.
From the Sputnik Agency
The White House said in a statement that U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed in phone calls on Monday to strengthen joint military capabilities in light of the escalating nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
According to the statement obtained by Sputnik, Trump also "conceptually approved" South Korea's purchase of billions of dollars worth of US military equipment to combat the alleged threat from North Korea.
The United States sold nearly $5 billion worth of weapons to South Korea between 2010 and 2016, according to an analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
South Korea was the fourth largest buyer of US weapons during that period, behind Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Previously, Seoul was restricted to a maximum weight of 500 kilograms (1100 pounds) for warheads on its ballistic missiles, according to a bilateral agreement with the United States signed in 2001.
Tensions on the peninsula have been high in recent months in relation to Pyongyang's repeated nuclear and missile tests.
On Sunday, North Korea said it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be carried on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test since 2006 was conducted a few days after North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward Japanese territory. North Korea has been conducting its missile and nuclear tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.