U.S., Japan defense chiefs agree N.K. missile launch is provocative, should cease tests

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono agreed in a phone call Thursday that North Korea's missile launches are unnecessarily provocative and that the regime should stop such tests.

The phone call came after North Korea said it successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday.

Esper and Kono "agreed that the North Korea tests are unnecessarily provocative and do not set the stage for diplomacy and that North Korea should cease these tests," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters.

hague@yna.co.kr
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