Seoul:The presidential National Security Office (NSO) held an emergency meeting to address North Korea's recent ballistic missile launch, as reported by Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the NSO condemned the missile firing, stating it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions, and called on Pyongyang to halt such provocative actions immediately.
South Korean military officials confirmed that North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile earlier the same day. This event followed comments by Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who dismissed responsibility for a recent mine blast within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and derided Seoul's appeals to ease tensions.
In response to the launch, senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan held a joint phone call to discuss a coordinated response. Baek Yong-jin, director general for Korean Peninsula policy at the South Korean foreign ministry, spoke with David Wilezol, deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the U.S. State Department, and Takashi Ariyoshi, a senior official at Japan's foreign ministry, to deliberate on the situation.