South Korea, US, Japan hold emergency call over North Korea ballistic missile launch

Diplomatic authorities from South Korea, the United States and Japan held an emergency phone consultation Monday to discuss information sharing and response measures following North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch on Sunday.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Baek Yong-jin, director general of the ministry's Korean Peninsula Policy Bureau, held a trilateral phone call Monday with David Wilezol, US deputy assistant secretary of state for Japan and Korea, and Ariyoshi Takashi, director of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier Sunday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area into the East Sea at roughly three-hour intervals.

"South Korea, the US and Japan operate a channel to swiftly share relevant information and situational assessments every time North Korea launches a ballistic missile," the Foreign Ministry said.