US approves possible sale of SM-6 missile to South Korea

The US has approved a possible sale of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and related equipment at an estimated cost of $650 million to South Korea.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US Defense Department's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the South Korean government has requested to buy up to 38 SM-6s including Vertical Launch System (VLS) canisters and other related equipment.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region," it said on the agency website.

Meanwhile, the top diplomats of South Korean, Japan, and the US said that growing cooperation between the Russia and North Korea poses a serious threat to peace and stability in the region.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco and agreed to enhance cooperation to address North Korean threats, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

Tensions are persisting on the Korean Peninsula as Seoul cements its relations with Washington and Tokyo while Pyongyang has grown closer to Russia.

The US, South Korea, and Japan claim Pyongyang is providing military equipment and munitions to Moscow for its war against Ukraine.