S. Korea, US, Japan share information, discuss response to NK missile launch

Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan convened on Friday for a series of telephone consultations, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. The purpose of these discussions was to exchange information and deliberate on potential responses following North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile launches, which occurred on Thursday.

Pyongyang had launched a series of short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea during ongoing military exercises between South Korea and the United States. North Korea has vehemently denounced these drills as rehearsals for war.

The South Korean foreign ministry detailed that Baek Yong-jin, the director general for Korean Peninsula policy, had a conversation with David Wilezol, the deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the U.S. State Department, and Takashi Ariyoshi, the deputy director-general at Japan's foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau. These three officials shared pertinent information and deliberated on future responses, as per the ministry's release.

The foreign affairs authorities of the three nations maintain a channel for expeditious sharing of information and assessments whenever North Korea conducts ballistic missile launches, the ministry added. The latest missile firing is the subject of discussion during these consultations.