Seoul: The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States, and Japan convened over the phone to condemn North Korea's recent missile launch. The discussions focused on ensuring a united front against potential future provocations by the North Korean regime.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee Jun-il, South Korea's director general for Korean Peninsula policy, engaged in talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Seth Bailey and Akihiro Okochi. The discussions revolved around North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, as reported by Seoul's foreign ministry.

The South Korean military identified the projectile as a suspected hypersonic missile fired into the East Sea, marking a significant provocation as the U.S. approached the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. This launch coincided with bilateral talks between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul in Seoul.

The foreign ministry highlighted that the envoys condemned North Korea's actions, emphasizing that the missile launch occurred during the South Korea-U.S. foreign ministerial meeting. The ministry underscored that the launch represented a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and posed a threat to regional and international peace and stability.

The three countries reiterated their commitment to maintaining close coordination to address provocations by North Korea, relying on the robust South Korea-U.S. alliance and the trilateral security cooperation that includes Japan.