Austin Discusses N. Korea Missile Launch With Japan, S. Korea Counterparts - Pentagon

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by telephone with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts and discussed assessments and possible response to North Korea's latest ballistic missile test launch over Japan, the US Defense Department said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th October, 2022) US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by telephone with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts and discussed assessments and possible response to North Korea's latest ballistic missile test launch over Japan, the US Defense Department said on Tuesday.

"On October 4, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Japan Minister of Defense Hamada Yasukazu held a call to address the threats posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (North Korea) nuclear and missile programs," the Defense Department said in a press release.

"The two leaders shared assessments and discussed measures to respond to the DPRK's recent missile launch."

Austin and South Korean National Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup view the missile launch as being "a serious escalation and a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions," the Defense Department said in a separate press release.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM) said the United States conducted separate bilateral military exercises with Japan and South Korea after North Korea's ballistic missile test launch.