North Korea’s military staged a “large-scale artillery drill” around the Wonsan region in the country’s east on Tuesday, a statement from the South Korean military said.
The drills coincided with military exercises held by US and South Korean navies in the Yellow Sea, off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula and as the USS Michigan, one of US’s most powerful submarines, arrived in South Korea.
In a separate statement, the South Korean President’s Office said a meeting had been held to discuss the situation.
Tuesday marks the 85th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s military, a significant date in the country’s calendar.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the status quo with nuclear-armed North Korea was unacceptable, calling for new sanctions on the country.
“This is a real threat to the world, whether we want to talk about it or not,” Trump said at a lunch for ambassadors of countries who sit on the Security Council.
“North Korea’s a big world problem, and it’s a problem we have to finally solve. People put blindfolds on for decades and now it’s time to solve the problem.”
Developing story — more to come