Japan, U.S., S. Korea Affirm Cooperation over N. Korean Missile

Munich, Feb. 18 (Jiji Press)--The foreign chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Saturday that the three countries will work closely together over North Korea's ballistic missile launch the same day through responses at the U.N. Security Council and other forums.

Meeting in Munich, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin strongly condemned North Korea over the missile, which fell into waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The three officials are visiting the southern German city to attend the Munich Security Conference. The trilateral meeting was hurriedly arranged in the wake of the North Korean missile launch.

Hayashi, Blinken and Park shared the view that the latest launch is a grave and imminent threat to regional security and a clear and serious challenge to the international community.

Blinken called the missile firing reckless and dangerous, seeking the implementation of tougher sanctions on North Korea.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]