Trilateral Defense Ministers' Phone Talk Among Korea, US, and Japan... "Close Cooperation Among Three Countries on North Korea's Missiles"

Defense Minister Seo Wook and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are holding a joint press conference for the 53rd Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on the afternoon of the 2nd at the briefing room of the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The defense ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan held a telephone conference and agreed to strengthen cooperation in response to North Korea's missiles.

On the 10th, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "Minister of National Defense Seo Wook, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi held a telephone conference this morning and shared assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security environment."

Minister Seo said during the call, "The recent missile test launches by North Korea, including intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), pose a direct and serious threat to us and are actions that cause instability in the regional situation as well as challenges to the United Nations Security Council resolutions."

Minister Seo also added that in response to the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, the South Korean military is deterring and responding based on its independent capabilities such as the nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) response system and the strong ROK-U.S. alliance, and that these efforts will be further strengthened going forward.

Meanwhile, the three defense ministers agreed to hold a face-to-face trilateral defense minister meeting on a mutually agreed date in the future, to closely cooperate against the North Korean missile threat, and to continue efforts to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of National Defense said. The U.S. side also reaffirmed its ironclad defense commitment to South Korea, the Ministry added.

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