Moon, Trump to soon hold telephone talks over N. Korea: official

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump will hold telephone discussions over ways to deal with North Korea's provocations, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

"(President Moon) and President Trump are soon expected to hold telephone talks. The sides are now working to arrange the conversation," the official told reporters, while speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the exact time of the conversation has not yet been fixed, but that it will likely be after the South Korean leader returns from his ongoing break.

Moon is on a seven-day vacation until this weekend.

The Moon-Trump talks will follow North Korea's latest launch on Friday of what is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The South Korean president is also expected to hold telephone talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to the Cheong Wa Dae official.

"The Japanese filed a request with our foreign ministry yesterday for talks between the countries' leaders, and we plan to set a date for such discussions in the near future," the official said.

The missile test prompted fresh condemnations from Seoul, Washington and other major countries. In addition to new joint sanctions by the international community, South Korea is seeking to take its own punitive measures against the reclusive North.

President Moon has ordered his top military officials to begin discussing ways to enhance the joint defense capabilities of South Korea and US forces here, possibly including the deployment of four US THAAD rocket launchers that have been on hold pending an environmental impact assessment.

The Cheong Wa Dae official insisted the early deployment of the US missile shield will not mean an excuse from the environmental test, saying the test, once called by the South Korean leader a necessary democratic procedure, will continue regardless of the deployment. (Yonhap)