Jeong spoke after arriving in Singapore for a regional security conference, the Shangri-La Dialogue.

"There is no change whatsoever in the official position of the defense authorities of South Korea and the US," Jeong told reporters when he was asked for comment on acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan's remark that the North's missile launches violated UN sanctions.

Shanahan made the remark during a press gaggle on Thursday en route to Indonesia. He said, "These were short-range missiles and those are a violation of the UNSCR. Yes." UNSCR stands for UN Security Council resolutions.

Under the resolutions, the North is banned from test-firing ballistic missiles.

On May 4 and 9, the North launched a fusillade of projectiles, including short-range missiles. Though experts labeled them as North Korea's version of Russia's Iskander ballistic missiles, South Korea has said it is analyzing to determine the exact type in close coordination with the US

Jeong and Shanahan will hold a trilateral meeting on Sunday on the sidelines of the forum which will involve Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya. The bilateral talks between the defense chiefs of South Korea and the US will take place on Monday in Seoul, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. (Yonhap)