North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a navy unit and inspected a cruise missile test aboard a warship, as South Korea and the US began their annual joint military drills, Pyongyang's state media reported on Monday.
Kim visited the Navy flotilla tasked with defending the east coast and watched the seamen on a patrol ship stage a launching drill of "strategic" cruise missiles, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without disclosing the date of his visit.
"At the drill aimed to reconfirm the combat function of the ship and the feature of its missile system and make the seamen skilled at carrying out the attack mission in actual war, the ship rapidly hit target without even an error," Yonhap News Agency quote the KCNA report as saying.
Photos carried by the North Korean state media showed a missile firing from Patrol Ship No. 661, with Kim observing the scene aboard a separate vessel.
Kim vowed to strengthen the North's navy to make it an "all-round and powerful" service group with improved combat efficiency and modern means of surface and underwater offensive and defensive capabilities, the KCNA said.
Meanwhile, South Korea and the US kicked off the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise on Monday, featuring various contingency drills, such as the computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training and Ulchi civil defense drills.
The exercise will run until August 31.
Kim's inspection came amid expectations that North Korea could carry out major provocations, such as the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), in a bid to protest the joint military drills.
The North has long denounced the Seoul-Washington military exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion.
PM inaugurates Charlapalli Railway Terminal in Hyderabad for regional development
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually inaugurated the Charlapalli Railway Terminal in Hyderabad and said this would accelerate regional development. It is the fourth terminal station in Telangana after Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Kacheguda.
8 jawans, driver killed as Maoists blow up security vehicle in Chhattisgarh
In the most gruesome Maoist attack in the New Year, eight jawans and a driver have been killed after the rebels blew up a security vehicle in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police sources said on Monday.
Historic milestone in J&K's integration into national railway network, says PM Modi
"The inauguration of the Jammu railway division is a historic milestone in the integration of J&K into the national railway network as also in the development of infrastructure and connectivity of J&K," he said.
Protesting farmers have agreed to hold talks with court-appointed panel: Punjab govt tells SC
The Punjab government on Monday apprised the Supreme Court that the farmers protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border have agreed to hold talks with the court-appointed panel.
Atishi breaks down at press conference, says Ramesh Bidhuri is abusing her father
With tears in her eyes, an emotionally disturbed Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday hit out at BJP candidate from Kalkaji seat Ramesh Bidhuri for stooping so low to attack his 80-year-old educationist father.
GRP arrested 35 human traffickers in Tripura in 5 months
The Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested 35 human traffickers in the last five months in Tripura for facilitating illegal entry of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas into India, officials said on Monday.
23 injured in two separate road accidents in Tripura
At least 10 students and a woman suffered breathing problems and six of them immediately shifted to the government-run Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital and their condition stated to be not serious.
Abhinaba Banik to represent Tripura in National Youth festival 2025 as state youth icon student-scientist
The Directorate of Youth Affairs & Sports of Tripura government has nominated Abhinaba Banik to represent the state as State Youth Icon Student-Scientist at the National Youth Festival.