Anchor: North Korea has again warned South Korea and the United States of strong retaliation, continuing its two-sided tactic of offering goodwill and then threats. The South Korean military has responded by saying it is prepared to counter any possible provocations by the North.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.
 
Report: North Korea has blasted South Korea and the United States for regarding Pyongyang’s latest missile launches and artillery drills as provocations and warned of strong "retaliatory" acts.
 
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted the National Defense Commission (NDC) as saying on Sunday that the North’s latest missile launches and artillery training exercises were aimed at strengthening the North’s self-defense capacity. It added that the North has only carried out its sovereign rights.
 
The commission said South Korea and the U.S. are the ones engaging in provocations on the Korean Peninsula by conducting artillery drills in the Yellow Sea and distributing leaflets across the border to the North.
 
The commission said Pyongyang will respond with retaliatory acts of justice in the event Seoul and Washington continue their reckless behavior.
 
The remarks come after the U.N. Security Council released a statement last week denouncing the North’s launch of short-range ballistic missiles.
 
The commission claimed the North has done everything it can to improve its relations with the South, adding what remains now is making a "final choice."
 
In response to the commission’s statement, South Korean military authorities said Monday that the South is closely watching the North Korean military’s movements and vowed to respond promptly and sternly in the event of provocation.
 
As tensions are mounting between the two Koreas, the North’s military is said to be preparing for a large-scale landing drill. A South Korean government source says signs of such preparations have been spotted in parts of its western port city of Nampo from two to three weeks ago. The source said the South Korean military is keeping a close eye on the activity as it's unusual for the North to carry out such a large-scale military exercise in the middle of summer.
 
Some observers say the North's recent activity may be in response to South Korea and the U.S.’s annual joint “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” military exercises that will begin next month.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.