US, Japan, South Korea condemn North Korea test at G20

The leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea on Friday condemned the ballistic missile test by North Korea this week as a "major escalation" and promised to apply "maximum pressure" to counter the isolated country's nuclear threat.

The launch on Tuesday was "a major escalation that directly violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and that clearly demonstrates the growing threat" North Korea poses to the United States, its neighbours and the world, the three said in a joint statement at the G20 meeting in Germany.

"President Trump reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to defend the ROK (Republic of Korea) and Japan using the full range of its conventional and nuclear capabilities," they said.