Senior diplomats of the United States, South Korea, and Japan held telephone talks on Monday to share information and discuss future responses after North Korea’s ballistic missile launches, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
The consultations come after Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The foreign affairs authorities of the three countries operate a channel for promptly sharing information and assessments whenever North Korea launches ballistic missiles,” the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Sunday’s launches appeared to have been a response to the U.S.-led multinational exercise Pacific Vanguard and other military activities in the region. The launches were also seen as a signal that North Korea intends to continue strengthening its military capabilities ahead of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday.
The launches underscore the difficulty facing Trump’s effort to revive diplomacy with Pyongyang. Despite Washington’s conciliatory gestures, North Korea has continued testing ballistic missiles while portraying U.S.-led exercises as justification for strengthening its military capabilities. The decision by Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo to discuss “future responses” without publicly detailing specific measures leaves open whether the talks covered diplomatic pressure, intelligence coordination, military preparedness, or a combination of these options. The limited disclosure may reflect the sensitivity of trilateral planning as the three governments assess Pyongyang’s intentions. The launches also come ahead of Thursday’s Trump–Xi summit, placing North Korea back on the regional security agenda, although there is no evidence that they were specifically intended to influence the meeting. (Agencies+EIR)
