South Korean and US armed forces carry out joint drills near North Korean border

South Korean and US troops have held joint drills near the border with North Korea.

The drills were "to test and enhance combat readiness simulating enemy aggression", the South Korean military said.

Lieutenant Colonel Cho Seung-Jae, 81st AR Battalion Commander, said the drill had enabled a "joint warfighting posture" to be established.

He added: "[It] can punish the enemy immediately, strongly and until the end when they provoke, while maintaining the highest combat readiness - even in the cold."

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A South Korean army mechanised infantry brigade and a US Army armoured Stryker brigade were involved in the exercise, which also involved heavy weapons.

Lieutenant Colonel Travis Stellfox, US Stryker Brigade Battalion Commander,  said he couldn't "imagine a better way to start the new year".

"What a great opportunity to train infantry and armour together, ROK (Republic of Korea) and US together, and this is the exact type of training that our soldiers hope for when we come here to Korea," he said.

"Every single one of them will remember this day and talk about it for the rest of their lives."

Starting on 29 December and finishing on 4 January, the exercise was heavily criticised by North Korea, which said "dangerous moves" from the two countries could push the region to the brink of "an inferno of nuclear war".

In the last year, South Korea and the US have increased the size and intensity of their joint drills.

North Korea, meanwhile, has tested both long-range ballistic missiles and tactical weapons, designed to hit targets in South Korea and the Pacific, over the last 12 months.