Top South Korean and US military officers agreed to take swift actions in response to North Korea's missile test Tuesday during their emergency phone talks, the South's military said.

The chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the two countries discussed military and strategic responses immediately after the North fired a ballistic missile that flew over Japan before falling into the North Pacific Ocean.

Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo of South Korea said it is a grave threat to the Korean Peninsula and the international community, according to Jeong's office.


Gen. Joseph Dunford agreed that the allies need to cooperate closely to cope with the North's belligerence.

The military leaders agreed to take measures at the earliest possible date to show the allies' strong determination, including "military responses," it added.

The statement did not elaborate what those measures would be. Following the North's provocative acts, the United States has often dispatched strategic bombers to Korea and the allies have staged joint ballistic missile tests in a show of force and their robust alliance. (Yonhap)