Key facts
- South Korea, U.S., and Japan held telephone consultations on Monday.
- The consultations followed North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday.
- This marks North Korea's 14th ballistic missile launch of the year.
- The three countries' foreign affairs authorities maintain a channel for information sharing on North Korean missile launches.
- The launches may have been a response to multinational maritime exercise Pacific Vanguard.
- The launches are also seen as a message ahead of the U.N. General Assembly and a U.S.-China summit.
Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan held telephone consultations on Monday to share information and discuss responses following North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches. The foreign ministry in Seoul stated that the three officials discussed future responses and maintained a channel for prompt information sharing regarding North Korean missile activities.
Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, which was the country's 14th ballistic missile launch of the year and the first in eight days, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. These launches are believed to be a response to multinational maritime exercise Pacific Vanguard, led by the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, and other regional military activities. The move is also interpreted as a signal that North Korea intends to continue strengthening its military capabilities ahead of the U.N. General Assembly session and a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Despite conciliatory gestures from President Trump and his expressed willingness to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea has continued its missile tests.