WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart agreed that firm responses, including at the United Nations, were necessary after North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

       "The two leaders pledged to continue close consultations between military authorities of the ROK and the U.S. going forward and agreed on the importance of maintaining a robust U.S.-ROK combined defense posture," the Pentagon statement added.

       Austin also spoke with his Japanese counterpart after the launch, the Pentagon said.

       (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Leslie Adler)