ANKARA

The naval chiefs of the US, South Korea and Japan held a teleconference Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen their trilateral cooperation against North Korean threats.

South Korean Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo underscored the need for further bolstering their cooperation during the talks with his US and Japanese counterparts, Adm. James Kilby and Adm. Akira Saito, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a statement from the South Korean Navy.

Yang emphasized that through continued cooperation among the three nations, North Korea's "provocation should be effectively deterred and dealt with and maritime security capabilities should be strengthened."

The three allies are seeking to strengthen their joint capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

They have held trilateral drills as part of such efforts, including the multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise.

In March, the three countries carried out a trilateral naval exercise which marked the first such drills conducted this year and since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January.

North Korea has condemned the drills as provocative.

*Writing by Aamir Latif