U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin is backing South Korea's intent to extend the range of its ballistic missiles under certain conditions.

Levin said during a seminar at the National Press Club in Washington on Tuesday that he doesn't have any problem if South Korea wants to extend the range of its ballistic missiles at its own expense in a nonthreatening and totally defensive way.

The chairman stressed that Seoul’s push to extend its missile range should not be viewed as an offensive or threatening position towards China or North Korea.

South Korea wants to extend its ballistic missile range to 800 kilometers from the current 300 kilometers by revising bilateral missile regulations with the U.S.