North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw large-scale artillery exercises, coinciding with joint drills between the United States and South Korea, as reported by official media on Friday.

The exercises, conducted on Thursday with live ammunition, aimed to enhance combat readiness and bolster capabilities for real combat engagements, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Border units actively participated in the maneuvers. The agency further stated that these exercises followed Kim Jong Un's visit to a training base in the western part of the country, where he expressed satisfaction with observing fully prepared forces ready for combat mobilization.

Pyongyang issued a threat on Tuesday to Seoul and Washington, warning of a "high price" for conducting their joint military drills known as "Freedom Shield."

South Korea's military confirmed North Korea's live-fire artillery exercises involving shells and missiles in the coastal city of Nampho in western North Korea towards the Yellow Sea, according to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.

The South Korean military emphasized its careful monitoring of North Korean provocations to maintain a solid joint defense posture and conduct joint exercises.

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