Moon, Trump Discuss Response to N.Korea's Nuke Test

President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on the phone again Monday to discuss their response to North Korea's latest nuclear test.

Cheong Wa Dae said the two leaders agreed on the need for close cooperation in the international community as well as the UN Security Council to implement tougher sanctions and pressure on North Korea.

Moon and Trump agreed to increase the permissible payload of South Korean missiles to boost South Korea's own defense capabilities against North Korean threat, raising it from 500 kg to 1 ton or more.

Moon pledged to complete the full deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in southern Korea as soon as possible.

Moon also spoke on the phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday morning. He said the international community must implement "tough and substantial" responses that the North will feel keenly, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun.

Moon also had telephone conversations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.