After extended negotiations with the United States, South Korea said Wednesday that it will build and deploy missiles with ranges long enough to reach key cities of communist North Korea.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement... under its new missile policy officially adopted Wednesday, South Korea will build missiles capable of traveling up to 187 miles with a payload of up to 1,100 pounds.

During their historic summit in June, the leaders of South and North Korea agreed to avoid confrontation, especially along the DMZ, the world's most heavily armed border. There was no immediate reaction from North Korea.

Nevertheless, the South wanted to improve its deterrent capabilities by extending the range of its missile.

A key obstacle was a 1979 agreement with Washington that barred South Korea from developing a missile with a range longer than 112 miles.

Washington feared that South Korea's attempt to lengthen missile ranges could trigger a regional arms race and make it more difficult to persuade North Korea to curb its missile development and exports.