Weapons Agreement

[Anchor Lead]

Regarding Trump's remarks that the U.S. has agreed to sell a considerable amount of weapons to South Korea, Seoul's presidential office sought to clarify that statement by saying the agreement was only made in principle. But Cheong Wa Dae acknowledged the fact that Seoul will begin talks on introducing high tech weapons from the US to boost national defense.

[Pkg]

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said there was no concrete agreement on purchasing weapons made during the Monday phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump. But the top office said the two sides agreed in principle to launch talks on Korea's introduction of high tech weaponry and technology from the US to boost its national defense against North Korean threats. The office said that President Trump's remarks may allude to this fact. Those in the military and defense sectors speculate the government may purchase more F-35A stealth fighter jets. Previously, Seoul changed its plan and decided to buy 40 of the jets instead of 60 due to budget reasons. Other pundits believe the government may also bring in the PAC-3 ballistic missile interceptor or more THAAD batteries in efforts to expand the scope of the nation's missile defense. Experts predict the U.S. may even consider the sale of its cutting edge weapons which it has been reluctant to provide, even to its allies over fears of technology leaks.

[Soundbite] Yang Wuk(Senior Researcher, Korea Defense & Security Forum) : "The deal may refer to strategic assets the U.S. hasn't sold to foreign countries. Bilateral interests may line up if this is the case."

Some say that President Trump could even pressure a weapons deal with Seoul following the decision to remove the limit on the maximum payload of South Korean missiles.