Seoul: South Korea, the United States, and Japan engaged in three-way phone discussions regarding North Korea's recent missile launch, as confirmed by Seoul's foreign ministry. The talks, which took place the previous day, were aimed at coordinating efforts in response to North Korea's actions.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Baek Yong-jin, the director general for Korean Peninsula policy, communicated with Dan Cintron, the acting U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, and Otsuka Kengo, the deputy director general of the Japanese foreign ministry's Asia and Oceania bureau. This dialogue followed South Korea's military report on Tuesday, which stated that North Korea had fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. This missile launch is part of North Korea's ongoing military activities ahead of its significant party congress.

North Korean state media reported on Wednesday that the country had successfully test-fired an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system, with leader Kim Jong-un present at the event. The confirmation of the phone talks by Seoul came only after the information was initially released in Japan earlier that day, highlighting the unusual delay in publicizing such trilateral consultations.

The foreign ministry stated that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan maintain channels to swiftly exchange information and assessments whenever North Korea conducts ballistic missile launches. The ministry clarified that details of the phone discussion were not disclosed, as the government's stance on the missile launch had already been communicated through the National Security Office and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Emphasizing the violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions by North Korea's ballistic missile launches, the ministry reiterated South Korea's commitment to responding firmly in coordination with the international community.