The top envoys on North Korea's nuclear program from South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on Tuesday to jointly take punitive action on the North over its ballistic missile launch earlier in the day in their emergency phone conversations, the foreign ministry here said.

Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held respective telephone talks with his American and Japanese counterparts, Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi, to discuss North Korea's latest missile launch and their future reaction to the launch, according to the ministry.
 

Earlier in the day, North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang, resuming provocations despite warnings from South Korea, the US and the international community. The missile flew over Japan before landing in the North Pacific Ocean; it is unusual for North Korea to fire a missile past Japan.

"The top representatives shared their recognition that the latest North Korean ballistic missile launch which passed through Japan's airspace is a serious act of escalating tension," the ministry said.

"They agreed to take stern measures through close cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan, including a powerful response at the United Nations Security Council level," it said. (Yonhap)