Japan, US and South Korea agree to continue cooperation over North Korean missile launch, posing a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula

On the 6th, Japan, the United States, and South Korea condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch and agreed to work closely together to respond decisively to the threat.
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan) said that Lee Jun-il, director of the Korean Peninsula Policy Bureau, had received a letter from Seth Bailey, special deputy for North Korea affairs at the U.S. State Department, at around noon on the same day.
The representatives of the three countries announced that they had held a three-way telephone conference with Akihiro Okawachi, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The launch of this missile is a clear violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions and seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community," it said.
The representatives of the three countries expressed deep concern over North Korea's missile provocation, especially during the U.S.-ROK foreign ministers' meeting in Seoul that day.
"The three representatives will closely monitor the possibility of additional provocations from North Korea and will work to combat North Korea's threats and challenges based on the robust U.S.-ROK alliance and Japan-U.S.-ROK security cooperation," the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan (known as the East Sea in South Korea) at around noon on the same day.
The missile launch marked North Korea's first armed provocation of the new year. It was the first time in two months that North Korea has launched a ballistic missile since November 5 of last year, when it launched a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).