South Korea’s military said Thursday’s ground and air firing exercise 20 kilometers south of the mainland border would also involve self-propelled guns and 800 soldiers.
As tensions on the Korean Peninsula started to be eased this week after North Korea’s last month attack, South Korea prepared on Wednesday for a major live-fire drill involving fighter jets and tanks near the tense border with its neighbor.
South Korea's military said Thursday's ground and air firing exercise 20 kilometers south of the mainland border would also involve self-propelled guns and 800 soldiers.
A senior South Korean military commander said Thursday's drill at the Pocheon range would "demonstrate our solid military preparedness".
"We will retaliate thoroughly if the North commits another provocative act like the shelling of Yeonpyeong," First Armored Battalion commander Choo Eun-Sik told Yonhap news agency.
South Korea's navy meanwhile began a four-day firing drill Wednesday off the east coast, a relatively distant 100 kilometers south of the border with the North, mobilizing six warships plus helicopters.
North Korea this week offered to re-admit UN inspectors to its nuclear-weapon program, leading to speculation of a resumption of the six-party disarmament talks and a general sigh of relief around the world that the crisis had passed.
The North's comments late Monday eased fears of war on the peninsula, and it also reportedly offered nuclear concessions to visiting US politician Bill Richardson.
But Seoul and Washington have expressed skepticism about the apparent overtures, coming after an intense bout of sabre-rattling from Pyongyang, whose communist regime is undergoing a generational power shift.
The United States said that North Korea was not even "remotely ready" to resume six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, despite the apparent concessions offered to New Mexico Governor Richardson on his private trip.
The White House made clear there was no change to US policy, despite Pyongyang's reported offer to re-admit UN nuclear inspectors and sell off fuel rods which could be used to produce plutonium.
Tensions have been high since the North shelled an island near the contested western maritime border last month in response to a live-fire drill by the South. The bombardment of Yeonpyeong killed two marines and two civilians.
South Korea's military said Thursday's ground and air firing exercise 20 kilometers south of the mainland border would also involve self-propelled guns and 800 soldiers.
A senior South Korean military commander said Thursday's drill at the Pocheon range would "demonstrate our solid military preparedness".
"We will retaliate thoroughly if the North commits another provocative act like the shelling of Yeonpyeong," First Armored Battalion commander Choo Eun-Sik told Yonhap news agency.
South Korea's navy meanwhile began a four-day firing drill Wednesday off the east coast, a relatively distant 100 kilometers south of the border with the North, mobilizing six warships plus helicopters.
North Korea this week offered to re-admit UN inspectors to its nuclear-weapon program, leading to speculation of a resumption of the six-party disarmament talks and a general sigh of relief around the world that the crisis had passed.
The North's comments late Monday eased fears of war on the peninsula, and it also reportedly offered nuclear concessions to visiting US politician Bill Richardson.
But Seoul and Washington have expressed skepticism about the apparent overtures, coming after an intense bout of sabre-rattling from Pyongyang, whose communist regime is undergoing a generational power shift.
The United States said that North Korea was not even "remotely ready" to resume six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, despite the apparent concessions offered to New Mexico Governor Richardson on his private trip.
The White House made clear there was no change to US policy, despite Pyongyang's reported offer to re-admit UN nuclear inspectors and sell off fuel rods which could be used to produce plutonium.
Tensions have been high since the North shelled an island near the contested western maritime border last month in response to a live-fire drill by the South. The bombardment of Yeonpyeong killed two marines and two civilians.
