Seoul, Washington and Tokyo coordinate on North's missile launches

Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan held telephone consultations Tuesday to share information and discuss responses to North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launches, the Foreign Ministry said.

On Monday, North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The North said Tuesday it test-fired a “tactical” ballistic missile the previous day to verify technological improvements to a key component of its weapons systems.

Baek Yong-jin, director general for Korean Peninsula policy at the Foreign Ministry, spoke with David Wilezol, deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the U.S. State Department, and Takashi Ariyoshi, a senior official at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, the ministry said.

“The three officials shared relevant information and discussed future responses,” the ministry said in a press release.

“The foreign affairs authorities of the three countries operate a channel for promptly sharing information and assessments whenever North Korea launches ballistic missiles,” it added.

Monday’s launches came after South Korea publicly announced the first successful test-firing of a homegrown hypersonic glide vehicle on Thursday.

The JCS said the launches appear to have been intended to demonstrate force in response to Seoul’s successful hypersonic missile test and to showcase progress in developing the North’s missile capabilities under its five-year defense development plan.

Yonhap