The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan "strongly condemned" North Korea's launch of an intercontinental-range ballistic missile in emergency phone conversations Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a statement from the South Korean foreign ministry.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had separate phone calls with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida earlier in the day to discuss their response to what appeared to be the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) shortly before midnight.

The ministers concluded that the latest launch marks "progress" from its previous ballistic missile launch on July 4, discussing ways to respond to it with powerful measures, including those by the United Nations Security Council.

"They shared serious concerns over the sophistication of North Korea's ballistic missile capacity," the foreign ministry said. 

"In addition, they strongly denounced North Korea's repeated ballistic missile provocations, which are a clear violation of UNSC resolutions and a grave threat to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the world," it added.

Source: MENA