SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided an artillery firing drill by the Korean People's Army, the country's military force, state media KCNA reported yesterday.
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided an artillery firing drill by the Korean People's Army, the country's military force, state media KCNA reported yesterday.
The JCS said it was monitoring the North's military activities as joint drills conducted by South Korean and US militaries are underway. The drills, known as the Freedom Shield exercises, began on Monday with twice the number of troops joining compared to last year. In Washington, a State Department spokesperson said the joint US South Korean drills were “routine and defensive in nature” and called on North Korea “to refrain from further provocative, destabilising actions and return to diplomacy.” KCNA said Thursday's artillery drill aimed to increase combat readiness and war capability.
Seoul's defence minister, Shin Won-sik, visited the Capital Defense Command on Thursday and ordered a firm response if North Korea made provocations aimed at the capital.