South Korean intelligence has warned that North Korea could destroy key facilities with marches this year, and that there is a possibility that Pyongyang will launch various attacks and assassinate North Korean defectors.
Meanwhile, North Korea released footage of its missile test on Thursday of a ballistic missile, the largest of its kind in the country.
According to state media, the country's leader Kim Jong-un followed the launch of an intercontinental missile towards the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Pyongyang framed the launch as a show of firmness toward the ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, and in response to what it called irresponsible and reckless military threats from the other side.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, preceded by two cruise missiles from a submarine on Sunday, hours before the start of the joint "Freedom Shield" exercises between Washington and Seoul.
Part of the joint "Freedom Shield" exercise between Washington and Seoul (Getty Images)
South Korea and the United States plan to begin their first large-scale amphibious landing exercise next week after a hiatus of nearly 5 years, in a show of their military capabilities, South Korea's navy and marines said Friday.
South Korea's armed forces said the Ssang Ryong (Double Dragon) exercise is scheduled to take place in and around Pohang, 272 kilometers southeast of the capital Seoul, from Monday to April <>, to enhance the combat readiness and interoperability of the two allies, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.
KCNA quoted South Korean Marines Commander Kim Jae-hwan as saying that "the upcoming exercises will demonstrate the desire of the South Korea-U.S. alliance to achieve peace through force, and we will work to strengthen the common defense posture to defend South Korea."