South Korea and the United States are said to be in talks about possibility of allowing Seoul to develop a solid-propellant space rocket for civilian purposes.

A Seoul official on Monday said the new missile guidelines agreed on between the two allies in November of last year include completely lifting a ban on the payloads of South Korean ballistic missiles. 

The official said they are currently holding discussions about the restrictions on solid fuel for rockets in order to strengthen the South Korean civilian sector’s capacity in space launch vehicle development. 

The official declined to comment on further details, noting related discussions are still under way. 

As space rocket technology can be applied to ballistic missiles launches, the issue may affect current negotiations on North Korea’s denuclearization or draw opposition from neighboring countries like China and Japan. 

Solid-fuel rockets are faster to launch and harder to detect in advance.