South Korea's top nuclear envoy held separate phone talks with his United States and Japanese counterparts on Friday after North Korea fired off two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.

According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Gunn spoke individually with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi on Friday following the North’s latest provocation.

The three sides strongly condemned the North for resuming ballistic missile tests, two weeks after its most recent launches, further ramping up tensions in the region. They noted that Pyongyang initiated its latest saber rattling after the national congress of the Chinese Communist Party came to a close.

The envoys underscored that the North's illegal provocation, which violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, can in no way be justified.

The envoys stressed that the North's nuclear and missile development will only serve to heighten security cooperation in and around the region, as well as enhance coordination among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The phone talks came after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Tongchon area in Gangwon Province between 11:59 a.m. and 12:18 p.m. Friday.