Today, Ms. Kelly Magsamen, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs; ROK Deputy Minister of National Defense for Policy Yoo Jeh-seung; and Japan Director General for Defense Policy Satoshi Maeda co-chaired a trilateral interagency video conference.

The video conference was held to share information among the three countries regarding the recent North Korean missile launches conducted on June 21, 2016. These and other North Korean missile launches are violations of UN Security Council Resolutions that explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology.

All three countries reiterated their strong condemnation of these launches and urged North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that undermine peace and security and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments. The three noted that North Korea's provocations would only strengthen the resolve of the international community.

The United States reaffirms its ironclad alliance commitments to defend the ROK and Japan. The United States will continue to work closely with the ROK and Japan, as well as the international community, to address North Korea's provocative actions.