South Korea-US-Japan North Korea Nuclear Chief Representatives Hold Phone Talks on North Korean Missile Response... "Close Cooperation for Situation Stability" (Comprehensive)

Japan Foreign Ministry "Reiterates Strong Concern Over North Korea's Nuclear and Missile Activities"

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported on the 6th, "The National Defense Science Institute conducted a hypersonic missile test launch on January 5." (Pyongyang Korean Central News Agency=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Amid North Korea's fourth ballistic missile launch this year, the chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States, and Japan held a trilateral phone call to discuss future response measures.

On the 17th, Noh Kyu-duk, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, held a trilateral phone consultation with Sung Kim, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi (船越健裕), Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

The three countries' chief nuclear envoys exchanged analyses of North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch and discussed response directions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the three countries agreed to closely monitor North Korea's subsequent developments while continuing close cooperation among the three nations to stabilize the situation on the Korean Peninsula and to promptly resume dialogue.

On the same day, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release, "While exchanging views on the latest North Korean situation, including North Korea's repeated recent ballistic missile launches, we reaffirmed our strong concerns about North Korea's nuclear and missile activities."

It added, "To realize North Korea's complete denuclearization in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, we agreed to continue close cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan from the perspective of diplomatic responses, full implementation of Security Council resolutions, and strengthening regional deterrence."

Earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward the northeast over the East Sea from the Pyongyang Sunan Airport area at around 8:50 a.m. and 8:54 a.m. on the same day.

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