Chinese news outlets are expressing concerns over South Korea’s year-end military drills, calling them a cause of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The People’s Daily was critical of South Korea’s plan to conduct maritime live-fire drills this week, which are the fifth round of military exercises to be held by Seoul amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s shelling of the South’s Yeonpyeong Island in November.

Xinhua News Agency said that tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula due to the series of military drills in South Korea. Xinhua also posted an online photo of a scene from an antimilitary drill rally staged in South Korea.