South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to abolish the decades-long missile guidelines restricting the range and payload of missiles developed in Seoul. 

President Moon Jae-in announced the joint decision at a press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden following their first summit at the White House on Friday.

The move allows Seoul to obtain complete missile sovereignty for the first time in 42 years.

Under the guidelines set in 1979, Seoul agreed to cap its maximum missile range at 180 kilometers in return for receiving technology from Washington. The U.S. was, at the time, concerned of an arms race in Northeast Asia.

However, the restrictions have gradually eased over the years, with the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. The guidelines had been revised four times to date.

During the joint press conference, President Moon said he and Biden also agreed to further strengthen the combined defense posture and reaffirmed the two allies’ commitment to the transfer of wartime operational control.