Negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. over extending the range of South Korean ballistic missiles will likely be concluded in one or two months.

Experts say both sides will officially announce the results of their talks in the 44th bilateral Security Consultative Meeting scheduled for October in Washington, which Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will attend.

A ranking military official in Seoul told The Dong-A Ilbo, “Negotiations over the extension of South Korea’s missile range will likely be concluded in one or two months,” adding, “Chances are high that the final draft of the agreement will be announced at the security talks next month.”

On the content of agreement, the official said, “It`s still flexible since the two sides are making a last-minute adjustment, but the agreement will reflect to a large extent South Korea’s demands and orientation on the missile range and the weight of warheads.”

In its negotiations over the past few months, Seoul strongly demanded to Washington that the missile range be extended to at least 800 kilometers as the “minimum requirement” for South Korea to have the ability to cope with North Korea`s ballistic missiles and to strike nuclear weapons and missile bases across the North.

Under missile guidelines Seoul and Washington agreed in 2001, South Korea cannot possess a ballistic missile with a range exceeding 300 kilometers and a warhead weighing more than 500 kilograms. If the new accord is concluded, the range will be more than doubled for the first time in more than 10 years, enabling Seoul to effectively cope with Pyongyang`s missile threat.

Earlier, the U.S. countered with a range of 550 kilometers for arbitration due to fears that significant extension of the missile range could stir up China, but Seoul reportedly rejected the offer.

A South Korean military source said, “The U.S. also accepted South Korea’s request that expanding our military’s capacity to counter North Korea`s missile threat ahead of the transfer of wartime operational command from the U.S. to South Korea in December 2015 will contribute to the South Korean-U.S. alliance."

Additionally, the source said both allies want to conclude the agreement sooner rather than later since they judge that further delays could spawn criticism and negatively affect their alliance as the talks have entered their second year.