North Korea's Kim oversees live-fire drills: KCNA

STORY: North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversaw artillery drills involving what state media called "super-large" rocket launchers in the country’s west --

---according to state news agency KCNA on Tuesday.

The drills came after a two-month pause in missile tests from the North ended on Monday.

That's also when South Korea and Japan reported Pyongyang fired short-range ballistic missiles into the sea.

And it was the same day U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a conference on advancing democracy.

It's not clear if the timing was intentional.

However, state media said that Kim himself oversaw the Monday drills to assess the, quote, "real war capabilities" of 600mm multiple rocket launchers,

to boost operator morale and readiness.

State media said the drills involved simulating an air explosion of the rocket launcher shell,

showcasing the unit's "high mobility and accurate and strong striking power" in a sudden combat mission,

and state news agency KCNA said that drew praise from Kim.

The South's defense minister on Monday warned that if North Korea launches a significant number of conventional missiles at the South,

it would be considered an act of war and lead to strong retaliatory measures.