TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2022) Representatives of Japan, South Korea and the United States have held a telephone conversation to compare positions on recent Pyongyang's missile launches, reiterating their intention to continue cooperating to resolve various issues in the region, the Japanese foreign ministry reported on Monday.
Parties to the conversation included Japan's Director-General Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Takehiro Funakoshi, the US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, and South Korean Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk.
"In the telephone talks, the parties exchanged views on the latest North Korean situation, including the January 17 missile test, as well as North Korea's missile and nuclear program. The sides share grave concern," the statement said.
Furthermore, the diplomats reaffirmed their intention to pursue cooperation to "bring about the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the provisions of the UN Security Council resolutions."
Earlier in the day, at 08:54 local time (23:54 GMT) Japanese Coast Guard issued a warning about a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea. Less than 10 minutes later, it was reported that the projectile fired presumably by North Korea had already landed.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff later said that North Korea had launched two short-range ballistic missiles at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport area. According to the South Korean Yonhap news Agency, the missiles flew less than 400 kilometers (248 miles). Due to resemblance to the January 14 railroad missile launch, the agency speculated that North Korea tested a similar missile launcher, while the South Korean military contended that further information and analysis are required.
