The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Apache helicopters, related equipment and missiles worth $3.5 billion to South Korea, the Pentagon said Monday (19/8).
“The proposed sale will enhance the Republic of Korea’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force capable of deterring adversaries and participating in regional operations,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin will be the prime contractors on the deal, the Pentagon said.
Although the U.S. State Department has approved the sale to South Korea, Congress still has to sign off on it. The announcement of the deal came on the same day the U.S. and South Korea began their annual joint military exercises.
News of the sale also comes amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal.
About 19,000 South Korean military personnel are participating in the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which are scheduled to run through Aug. 29. The U.S. has not said how many personnel are participating. The simulated war games and field exercises are designed to increase the allies’ readiness for a North Korean attack.
“As seen in Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East, war can break out at any time,” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said, explaining why the drills were necessary. The South Korean leader has described North Korea as “the most reckless and irrational country in the world.”
North Korea routinely denounces the annual joint exercises, accusing the US and South Korea of rehearsing for an invasion of the North.
Pyongyang justifies its growing weapons program as a way to “maintain the balance of power to prevent war by enhancing the greatest deterrence.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a massive ceremony earlier this month in Pyongyang for the handover of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers, which will reportedly be destined for front-line military units. (uh/rs)
Some of the information in this report comes from Reuters, The Associated Press dan Agence France-Presse.
