Commercial satellite imagery has shown North Korean troops practising in formation in Pyongyang, and South Korea has also said it was monitoring increased related activities.
The military meeting also follows North Korea on Thursday condemning drills by the United States and its allies, saying they have reached an “extreme red-line” and threaten to turn the peninsula into a “huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone”.
In Thursday’s statement, the North Korean foreign ministry condemned a visit to South Korea by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and said Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursues hostile policies.
Last Tuesday, Austin and his South Korean counterpart said they would expand military drills and deploy more “strategic assets”, such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers, to counter North Korea’s weapons development and prevent a war.
When asked about the tensions with North Korea during a stop in the Philippines, Austin said that the US goal was to promote greater security and stability and that it remained committed to defending South Korea.