Marine Corps commanders of S. Korea, Thailand discuss cooperation in drills, exchanges

Senior diplomat officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan engaged in telephone consultations on Friday. The purpose was to exchange information and deliberate potential responses to North Korea's most recent ballistic missile launches, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. On Thursday, North Korea conducted an estimated ten short-range ballistic missile tests from the Wonsan region towards the East Sea.

The North's state media reported on Friday that it had fired a 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, tactical cruise missiles, and air-to-surface weapons during the demonstration the day before. Baek Yong-jin, the director general for Korean Peninsula policy at Seoul's foreign ministry, conversed with David Wilezol, the deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the U.S. State Department.

Additionally, Takashi Ariyoshi, a senior official at Japan's foreign ministry, participated in the call, as confirmed by the ministry. The three officials exchanged relevant information and deliberated on forthcoming actions, the ministry stated in a press release. The foreign affairs authorities of the three nations maintain a channel for expeditiously sharing pertinent data.