ⓒYONHAP NewsPresident Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Funio Kishida spoke on the phone on Thursday and agreed on the need to cooperate on formulating a stern response to North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile launches.  

Yoon's presidential office said in a written press briefing that the two leaders spoke on the phone for 25 minutes from 5:35 p.m. to discuss the North's actions. 

According to the top office, Yoon and Kishida strongly condemned the North's ballistic missile tests, calling them grave provocations that threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and the world. 

The two leaders then agreed that South Korea and Japan will cooperate to sternly respond to North Korea. 

 They also concurred on the need to send a clear message to the North that it must stop reckless provocations and that such actions have consequences. 

In addition, the leaders agreed to communicate frequently to discuss various issues including regional security. 

The United Nations Security Council(UNSC), meanwhile, failed to reach an agreement on a response to North Korea’s firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile during a meeting on Wednesday.

In opening remarks which were public, the United States and most other UNSC members called for stern measures against the North's provocation, pointing out that the missile launch was a violation of existing UNSC resolutions.

Council member states China and Russia, however, defended North Korea and insisted that U.S.-led military exercises in the region provoked the North, resulting in a lack of agreement by the council.