INTERNATIONAL: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol have said they had agreed on Friday to ramp up three-way ties with the United States in responding to North Korea's evolving military threat.

Kishida has announced after a phone call with Yoon the two have agreed to stay in close contact over North Korea and shared the view it would be good to meet as soon as possible.

North Korea has recently used what would be its largest ever intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system in two secretive launches, likely paving the way for a resumption of long-range tests, U.S. and South Korean officials have said on Friday.

Kishida has said pretty much all diplomatic options are open in dealing with North Korea, possibly including sanctions, and that Japan will stay in close contact with the United States and South Korea on any response.

A spokeswoman for Yoon, who won Wednesday's presidential election,has said he expressed hopes for greater trilateral cooperation involving the United States in dealing with North Korea.

Relations between the two neighbours have been strained over issues stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonisation over the Korean peninsula, including victims of Japan's forced labour and mobilisation of wartime brothels.

Good bilateral ties are essential and need to be advanced given the state of world affairs, Kishida has mentioned.

Yoon has told Kishida it would be important to resolve bilateral pending issues in a "reasonable, mutually beneficial manner," adding both sides have many areas of cooperation including regional security and the economy.

^{PHOTO: JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER FUMIO KISHIDA SPEAKING TO REPORTERS ABOUT SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WINNER YOON SUK-YEOL}