South Korea urges restraint after North's missile test

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is fending off calls to step up pressure on North Korea after it test-fired missiles last month.Jeong told an annual security conference in Singapore Saturday that the tests are being investigated and a conclusion is within reach.North Korea itself has defended the launches, saying it was exercising its right to self-defense.Jeong was responding to a question on whether the tests were a violation of a military agreement between South and North Korea last September to halt acts of aggression against each other.He said the North was "in fact acting within the boundaries" of the agreement and tensions between their militaries "have been lowered to a significant extent."The U.S. and Japan say North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and 9, ending a pause that began in late 2017. Both countries called it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.Jeong says Pyongyang has shown it intends to work toward peace and urged the international community to “assure North Korea that the decision to denuclearize is indeed the right decision.”Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who spoke at the same session on Korean security, stressed that a strict implementation of sanctions against North Korea was necessary.He specifically directed his comments at South Korea, China and Russia.