South Korea holds amphibious combat drills following North's missile provocation

outh Korean marines in amphibious armoured vehicles waded ashore under the guns of patrolling warships on Wednesday (October 26) as part of large-scale military exercises that organisers said were necessary to prepare for any North Korean threats.

The amphibious landing exercise, held near Pohang on South Korea's east coast, is part of the 12-day Hoguk 22 field exercises, which included some drills with U.S. troops, such as a river-crossing exercise last week.

North Korea has condemned the drills for raising tensions and has test-fired rockets and artillery in response.

The U.S., Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that an "unparalleled" scale of response would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test, which Washington and its allies believe Pyongyang could resume soon, for the first time since 2017.