South Korea pushes to bolster its missiles to counter North Korea

South Korea indicated Saturday that is looking to build up its ballistic missiles arsenal amid signs North Korea is making rapid advancements on its missiles program.

President Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster agreed with his South Korean counterpart to begin negotiations that would allow South Korea to build more powerful missiles to combat its increasingly aggressive neighbor to the north, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The move to obtain stronger missiles needs approval from the U.S. due to a bilateral treaty between the two nations.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-In also instructed his government to work with the U.S. to implement the U.S. missile defense system known as THAAD.

Meanwhile, McClatchy reports that an increasing number of lawmakers in South Korea are pushing for their country to develop its own nuclear arsenal amid heightened tensions with the North.

The news comes after the U.S. on Friday detected the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from North Korea, which flew for 45 minutes.

The latest launch was the 14th test conducted by the regime in 2017, and followed Pyongyang firing another ICBM on July 4.

President Trump condemned the attack in a statement saying the U.S. “will take all necessary steps” to protect the U.S. homeland and its allies located near North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed on Saturday the regime’s latest missile test showed it could hit the U.S. mainland.