North Korea army live artillery drill supervised by the leader of DRPK Kim Jong 1503133.

KCNA did not specify when the drill took place. The border is seen as the most likely site of any clash between the North, which has stepped up military preparations in response to being sanctioned for its February nuclear test, and South Korea.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, quoting the KCNA, said Kim oversaw live ammunition drills to test the capabilities of artillery batteries under real battle conditions. Yonhap said the Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands just south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) act as the de facto sea border between the two Koreas, although the North does not recognize the NLL.

The artillery exercises come as North Korea, under Kim, has stepped up its highly provocative threats against the United States and South Korea to express its anger against the recent U.N. Security Council resolution that severely tightened existing sanctions for the North's Feb. 12 nuclear test and its earlier long-range missile test.

In its report, KCNA said Kim, who also is a marshal in the North Korean military, was pleased with the level of accuracy of the artillery units. The report was quoted as saying the aim of the exercise is to destroy the headquarters of the South Korean army and marine corps units on the two islands as well as other military installations.