Defense officials from S. Korea, U.S. Japan discuss N. Korea's missile threats
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan held phone talks Thursday to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and reaffirmed the importance of trilateral security cooperation, Seoul's defense ministry said.
The phone talks came two days after North Korea fired what it claimed to be a hypersonic missile into the East Sea, the second such launch in less than a week.
During the conversation, Deputy Defense Minister Kim Man-ki, Ely Ratner, the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, and Kazuo Masuda from the Japanese defense ministry shared their views on the security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, including the North's latest missile launches, according to the ministry.
"South Korea and the U.S., in particular, agreed to accelerate an in-depth analysis and preparations of response measures against North Korea's growing missile threats," the ministry said in a statement.
The officials reaffirmed the importance of security cooperation among the three countries, and agreed to hold three-way defense ministerial talks at an agreed upon date, it added.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan earlier pushed for a defense ministerial meeting in Hawaii this month, but postponed the schedule due to the virus situation.
The three countries last held a trilateral defense ministerial meeting on the margins of security talks involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok in November 2019.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
Ateez member Yunho throws first pitch at MLB match between Dodgers, Mets
-
Gov't likely to accept university chiefs' request to lower med school enrollment quota
-
S. Korea supports resolution backing U.N. membership of Palestine
-
Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
-
S. Korea, U.S. to hold 1st round of defense cost sharing talks this week
-
Gov't likely to accept university chiefs' request to lower med school enrollment quota
-
Experts see possibility of N.K. conducting nuclear test before U.S. presidential vote
-
Details of meeting between Yoon, opposition leader undecided: presidential office
-
Looming weekly closure of major hospitals feared to worsen medical service crisis
-
Yoon's approval rating sinks to lowest point since taking office
-
U.S. will take steps for three-way engagement on nuclear deterrence with S. Korea, Japan: Campbell
-
(LEAD) Hybe to file complaint against sublabel executives over internal conflict
-
S. Korea reports highest suicide rate, ultra fine dust level among OECD nations: data
-
U.S. sent ATACMS missiles to Ukraine following Russia's use of N.K. missiles: White House
-
(3rd LD) Hybe to file complaint against sublabel executives over internal conflict