Foreign Minister of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan "strongly condemned North Korea's ICBM launch...We need to stop provocations."

Foreign ministers of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan called for an immediate end to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch, saying it was a provocative act that threatened peace and security around the world.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held a call to denounce North Korea's ICBM launch and issued a joint statement calling it a violation of a number of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The trilateral minister said in a statement that he noted that the North's launch came after it defined South Korea as an adversary, and that the U.S. and Japan reaffirmed their support for peaceful reunification on the Korean Peninsula and urged North Korea to return to dialogue immediately.

He emphasized that permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula can only be achieved through dialogue.

The foreign ministers of the three countries said they will work closely with the international community toward the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will step up efforts to block illegal profits used to develop North Korean weapons.

He also stressed that South Korea, the U.S. and Japan condemn in the strongest possible terms the deepening of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the continued transfer of illegal weapons and the dispatch of North Korean troops.

The U.S. reaffirmed its defense commitment to South Korea and Japan during the call, and South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agreed to continue strengthening security cooperation to effectively respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile issues.