MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th October, 2022) South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the� launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea over Japan on Tuesday a serious provocation during the phone conversation, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in statement.
"Both ministers resolutely condemn the present firing, and underline that it constitutes a direct violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation, threatening the whole world and the security of the entire international community," the South Korean Foreign Ministry's official statement declared.
The two foreign ministers agreed to strengthen their countries' cooperation and to work with Japan in order to obtain a UN Security Council response to North Korea's ballistic missile firing. Blinken and Park also committed to supporting the common defense potential of South Korea and the United States, and to strengthen the two countries' defense cooperation.
In early hours on Tuesday, media reported that North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan. The missile flew over Japan's territory and fell in the Pacific Ocean outside of the Japanese exclusive economic zone.
North Korea has intensified launches of ballistic missiles and other projectiles in 2022. Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang has conducted 23 missiles tests, including four tests last week, compared to eight missiles tests last year. Tuesday's test is the first missile launch over Japan since 2017.
