South Korea, Japan and the US has held an unprecedented trilateral missile defence exercise. The trilateral drill in waters off Hawaii came less than a week after the DPRK flight-tested a powerful new medium-range ballistic missile, and included a ballistic target tracking operation to test the Aegis anti-missile systems used by the US and its two key Asian allies.

On Monday, South Korean media said a US defence official had confirmed that the DPRK missile reached space and then re-entered Earth's atmosphere. South Korean Foreign Ministry warned on Tuesday that the North maintains the capability to start its nuclear test at any time, and the South is reconsidering the deployment of THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile System.

Also on Tuesday, South Korea rejected the DPRK's proposal to hold a meeting of political parties and social organizations from the two Koreas around mid August, calling the offer as the North's typical propaganda ploy against South Korea.