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South, U.S., Japan condemn North's ballistic missile launch

Published: 08 May. 2025, 16:17

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 6 shows the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead as payload at an undisclosed location in North Korea. [EPA/YONHAP]

Senior officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly denounced North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch on Thursday, agreeing to respond firmly to Pyongyang's provocations and threats through close trilateral collaboration.

Deputy envoy-level officials on North Korean nuclear issues from the three countries made the joint commitment during a phone call held shortly after North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles earlier in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Between 8:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., South Korea's military detected the launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles of various types from the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan, the fourth ballistic missile test by the country so far this year.

The South Korean military speculated that the launch may have been part of a performance test linked to North Korea's arms transactions with Russia.

The officials from the three countries shared their assessments of the launch and denounced it as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a "serious threat" to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community.

The three countries will closely monitor the possibility of further provocations by North Korea and will maintain close coordination to firmly respond to Pyongyang's provocations and threats, based on trilateral security cooperation and the solid alliance between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, the Foreign Ministry said, quoting the officials.

Yonhap