Why had South Korea proposed military talks with North Korea before the latest missile launches?

Seoul proposed military talks to resolve differences over the demarcation of the inter-Korean border. Tensions in the border region had risen after a land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers.

S. Korea, US, Japan discuss N. Korea's latest missile launches by phone

Q: Which officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan discussed North Korea’s latest missile launches?

Baek Yong-jin, Seoul’s director general for Korean Peninsula policy, spoke by phone 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.

Q: What weapons did North Korea say it used in its latest weapons demonstration?

North Korea’s state media reported that the demonstration included a 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, tactical cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles. The report described the weapons used during the demonstration on Thursday.

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Summary

Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan held telephone consultations Friday to share information and discuss responses to North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launches. North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea on Thursday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The consultations followed Seoul’s proposal a week earlier to hold military talks with Pyongyang amid rising tensions along the inter-Korean border.

Key Facts

Baek Yong-jin, director general for Korean Peninsula policy at Seoul’s foreign ministry, spoke with David Wilezol of the U.S. State Department and Takashi Ariyoshi of Japan’s foreign ministry.
North Korea’s state media said the weapons demonstration included a 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, tactical cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.
The foreign ministries of the three countries maintain a channel to share information and assessments promptly whenever North Korea launches ballistic missiles.
The border tensions followed a land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone last month that injured three South Korean soldiers.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 30, 2026 2:58 pm KST

A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launches is aired at Seoul Station, Thursday. Yonhap

Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan held telephone consultations Friday to share information and discuss responses to North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

On Thursday, North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The North's state media reported Friday that it fired a 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, tactical cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles during the weapons demonstration the previous day.

Baek Yong-jin, director general for Korean Peninsula policy at Seoul's 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, the ministry said.

"The three officials shared relevant information and discussed future responses," the ministry said in a press release.

"The foreign affairs authorities of the three countries operate a channel for promptly sharing information and assessments whenever North Korea launches ballistic missiles," it added.

North Korea's latest missile launches came a week after Seoul proposed holding military talks with Pyongyang to resolve differences over the demarcation of their border, as tensions in inter-Korean border region have risen since last month's land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers.

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