Tokyo: Senior diplomats from Japan, the US, and South Korea have strongly criticized North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launch, as reported by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The missile launch was discussed during a telephone consultation among Akihiro Okochi, Deputy Director-General of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau; Seth Bailey, US Deputy Special Representative for the Korean and Mongolian Affairs; and Lee Jun-il, Director-General for the South Korean Foreign Ministry’s Korean Peninsula Policy.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the discussions were in response to the latest missile launch by Pyongyang. The Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that the three officials reaffirmed their stance that North Korea’s ballistic missile launches are in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. They strongly condemned the launch, labeling it a threat to regional and international peace and security.
The diplomats also reiterated their commitment to closely collaborate on addressing the issue. In a separate statement, the South Korean Defense Ministry reported that North Korea fired a suspected hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) at 12 p.m. (0300 GMT). The missile reportedly traveled approximately 1,100 km before landing in the sea.