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The US leader and Moon Jae-in agreed during a telephone call this morning to exert stronger sanctions on the hermit kingdom following its nuclear and missile tests this week. Park Soo-hyun, spokesman for South Korea’s Blue House, said: “The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation, and exert stronger and practical sanctions on North Korea so that it realises provocative actions leads to further diplomatic isolation and economic pressure.” The Blue House said Mr Moon and Mr Trump had strongly condemned the latest missile launch by North Korea, and agreed the two nations would work with the international community to implement the latest UN Security Council's resolution 2375, Mr Park said.

REUTERS•GETTY EPA Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in agreed to place further sanctions on North Korea

The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation, and exert stronger and practical sanctions on North Korea Park Soo-hyun

Mr Park did not reveal exactly what further sanctions would be placed on the North, but if they stopped oil imports from China they would be the strongest yet. The two leaders’ phone call came after North Korea fired an unidentified missile early on Friday from the Sunan district in its capital, Pyongyang, over Japan. North Korea’s state-run news agency, KCNA, yesterday released photos it claimed were of the latest missile test.

North Korea hosts a lavish banquet in honour of the country’s nuclear weapons developers Wed, September 13, 2017 A gala banquet celebrating last week’s hydrogen bomb test, which was so powerful it caused an earthquake Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 10 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claps during a celebration for nuclear scientists and engineers who contributed to a hydrogen bomb test, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)

A series of pictures showed a ballistic missile at different stages of the launch while another showed dictator Kim Jong-un laughing and clapping his hands as several officials around him did the same while apparently watching the launch. The despotic leader said his country’s “final goal” was “to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option”. Mr Trump and Mr Moon this morning decided to go ahead with pushing further sanctions on North Korea despite Kim saying sanctions would not stop him from achieving his goal.

He added: “We should clearly show the big power chauvinists how our state attains the goal of completing its nuclear force despite their limitless sanctions and blockade." Kim claimed his goal had “nearly reached the terminal”. Under Kim’s leadership North Korea has launched dozens of missiles in a bid to accelerate its weapons programme which has the ultimate goal of being able to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Getty Moon Jae-in spoke to Mr Trump this morning

Getty North Korea released a series of pictures showing the missile launch