North Korea Launches Live Firing Drill As Tensions Rise With US
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North Korea conducted a live firing drill just hours after a US submarine armed with missiles docked at a South Korean base used for carrying out exercises.
This latest news comes as tensions rise between North Korea and the US. In recent days, North Korea has also made threats to nuke Australia, if it got 'too cosy' with the US.
Government officials said that around 300 to 400 long-range artillery pieces were involved in the drill, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The exercise was a chance for Kim Jong-un to put on a show of force. The drill took place on Tuesday, which was the 85th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's military.
A spokesperson from North Korea's military is reported to have said it was prepared "to bring to closure the history of US scheming and nuclear blackmail".
In a front-page editorial, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmum wrote: "There is no limit to the strike power of the People's Army armed with our style of cutting-edge military equipment, including various precision and miniaturised nuclear weapons and submarine-launched ballistic missiles."
South Korea's Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff is monitoring the goings-on and is 'firmly maintaining readiness', Reuters reports.
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South Korea is now set to conduct its own live firing drill alongside the US. They will take place on both land and sea. The drills will include the US Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, which Donald Trump sent to the Korean peninsula earlier this week, the Guardian reports.
As tension rises, the US has vowed to end former US President Obama's policy of "strategic patience". But while in Australia, US Vice President Mike Pence spoke of ending any conflict peacefully.
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He said: "We truly believe that, as our allies in the region and China bring that pressure to bear, there is a chance that we can achieve a historic objective of a nuclear-free Korea peninsula by peaceful means."
North Korea did not use the drills to carry out a nuclear missiles test.
Sources: The Guardian; Reuters and Yonhap news agency
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: kim jong-un, North Korea, US
