North Korea's Kim visits major army base amid US-South Korea exercise

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a major army base and guided units on maneuvers, state-run media reported on March 7, with Pyongyang denouncing South Korean-US military drills that started earlier this week.

During his visit to the western operational training base, Kim stressed that the Korean People's Army should intensify war drills "to contain the constant threat of the enemies with overwhelming force," Kyodo News reports.

North Korea's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, also ran photos that showed Kim meeting with soldiers and encouraging them.

South Korea and the United States began their joint military exercise on Monday to prepare for an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean military said, following a series of cruise missile firings by North Korea since late January.

North Korea called the drills "provocative" and urged the United States and South Korea to stop them, KCNA reported, citing a defense ministry spokesman's statement.

In the joint exercise to be held for 11 days through March 14, the two countries will double the number of field drills compared with last year, given North Korea's rapidly advancing nuclear and missile technology, according to the South Korean military.