한민구, 대테러훈련 참관…"현 상황 엄중…만반의 대비태세" Seoul's defense chief pays a visit to the military's counterterrorism units to check up on their combat readiness in the face of the growing threats from North Korea. One of those threats arrived later in the day today, as North Korea once again threatened to turn South Korea and the United States into a sea of fire. Our Lee Ji-won has more. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo assessed the combat readiness of two counterterrorism units during a training exercise on Thursday. According to the defense ministry, Han instructed the troops to be prepared for any provocations from North Korea... in a climate in which threats from North Korea are on the rise. Han also said the military is seeking to expand its counterterrorism operations in order to protect South Korean citizens. He was visiting a counterterrorism unit under the Special Warfare Command... and the CBR team, which collects and analyzes evidence in the event of a chemical, biological or radiological attack. The defense minister's inspection came ahead of another threat from North Korea, published in the North's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper,... resolving to turn South Korea and the United States into a "sea of fire." This is the regime's latest salvo against the annual military exercises between the two allies known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, which will reportedly be the largest ever. The North has long objected to the drills, claiming they are a rehearsal for an attack. The newspaper also berated the U.S. for targeting the North's leadership... and said the drills are akin to a declaration of war. It added... if the U.S. does not come back to its senses, the North will turn U.S. bases in the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. mainland into ashes. Lee Ji-won, Arirang News. Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS): http://www.facebook.com/newsarirang Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtv Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://instagram.com/arirangworld