In this Dec. 28, 2011 file photo, a North, right, and a South Korean soldier look at each other's sides at the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea.
Under the new deal with the U.S., South Korea will be able to possess ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles). South Korea will continue to limit the payload to 500 kilograms for ballistic missiles with an 800-kilometer range, but it will be able to use heavier payloads for missiles with shorter ranges.
A previous 2001 accord with Washington had barred South Korea from deploying ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and a payload of more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) because of concerns about a regional arms race.
The Korean Peninsula remains officially at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against possible aggression from North Korea.
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Associated Press writers Eric Talmadge in Tokyo and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.
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