South Korean Army's K-9 self-propelled gun fire live rounds during the largest joint air and ground military exercises on the Seungjin Fire Training Field in mountainous Pocheon, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Koreas' heavily fortified border, South Korea Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010. South Korean tanks fired artillery and fighter jets zoomed by to drop bombs Thursday in the military's largest air-and-ground firing drills of the year, a show of force a month after a deadly North Korean artillery attack.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (C) speaks to army soldiers during his visit to a military observation post of the front-line unit in the demilitarized zone in Yanggu, far northeast of Seoul, December 23, 2010. In a rare visit to the front line, Lee visited a separate military unit near the border to inspect defensive readiness against Pyongyang. North Korea criticised major land and sea military exercises staged by the South on Thursday, but stopped short of threatening a retaliatory strike as tension remained high on the divided peninsula.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (C) poses for photographs with its army soldiers during his visit to a military observation post of the front-line unit in the demilitarized zone in Yanggu, far northeast of Seoul, December 23, 2010. In a rare visit to the front line, Lee visited a separate military unit near the border to inspect defensive readiness against Pyongyang. North Korea criticised major land and sea military exercises staged by the South on Thursday, but stopped short of threatening a retaliatory strike as tension remained high on the divided peninsula.
South Korean military soldiers take part during a joint air and ground force military exercise 25 kilometres from the North Korean border on December 23, 2010 in Pocheon, South Korea. The exercises were conducted to test fire power and prepare the South Korean defense force for any potential attack by North Korea.
Artillery explodes on a mountain range during the largest joint air and ground military exercises on the Seungjin Fire Training Field in mountainous Pocheon, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Koreas' heavily fortified border, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010. South Korean fighter jets dropped bombs and tanks fired artillery Thursday as the military staged its largest air and ground firing drills of the year in a show of force a month after North Korea's deadly shelling of a front-line island.
An AH-1S Cobra helicopter fires machine gun rounds on a mountain target during air and ground military exercises on the Seungjin Fire Training Field, in mountainous Pocheon December 23, 2010
Two F-15K fighter jets drop bombs on a mountain target during air and ground military exercises on the Seungjin Fire Training Field, in mountainous Pocheon December 23, 2010. North Korea criticised major land and sea military exercises staged by the South on Thursday, but stopped short of threatening a retaliatory strike as tension remained high on the divided peninsula. In a show of military might, South Korea held a major land drill in the Pocheon region, between Seoul and the heavily armed demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. It also continued naval live-fire exercises 100 km (60 miles) south of the maritime border with North Korea.
An explosion is seen on a mountain range during air and ground military exercises on the Seungjin Fire Training Field, in mountainous Pocheon December 23, 2010.
Long range rockets are fired a mountain range during the largest joint air and ground military exercises of the year Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010, on the Seungjin Fire Training Field in mountainous Pocheon, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Koreas' heavily fortified border, South Korea.