US, South Korean And Japanese Defense Ministers Agree To Call North Korea's Missile Test Disturbing And A Violation Of UN Resolutions

Illustration of a North Korean missile test. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Wednesday with South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi about the threat posed by North Korea following a series of missile launches by Pyongyang, the Pentagon said.

International tensions have been rising over North Korea's series of ballistic missile tests, a move long banned by the UN Security Council.

January was a record month of missile launch tests, with at least seven launches including a new type of "hypersonic missile" capable of high-speed maneuvers.

"Leaders stressed that the DPRK's ballistic missile launch destabilizes regional security and is a clear violation of several United Nations Security Council resolutions," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, using the acronym for North Korea's official name.

Meanwhile, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook said the launch posed an "immediate and serious threat", pledging to increase response capabilities under the US alliance.

In this regard, the three defense ministers agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting in the near future, his office said in a statement, without specifying a date.

On Tuesday, North Korea said it was one of only a handful of countries in the world to possess advanced nuclear weapons and missiles, and the only one to oppose the United States by "shaking the world" with missile tests.

Excerpts from a classified United Nations report say North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs over the past year, with cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges an important source of revenue for Pyongyang.