The South Korean Army conducted live-fire tank drills 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border on Thursday, as the joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea, dubbed Freedom Shield, draws to a close, Yonhap reported, citing the country's military.
The drills lasted for 11 days and were designed to bolster Seoul's military readiness against North Korea. Pyongyang reacted to the drills, with the country's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un calling for "intensifying the practical actual-war drills," whilst urging the country's military to achieve "perfect war preparedness," just two days after Freedom Shield began.
Earlier on Thursday, in another response to the annual military exercise conducted by the US and South Korea, Pyongyang unveiled its newest battle tank, with Kim proclaiming that it is the "most powerful tank in the world."