U.S. and South Korean soldiers join forces for river-crossing drill for first time in a decade in the wake of North Korea threats More than 300 American and 95 South Korean troops were on the Imjin River They used a floating tank transporter to carry heavy military vehicles The United States and South Korean took part in their first large river-crossing drill in a decade today. The exercise comes ten days after the South accused its neighbour North Korea of firing three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters. More than 300 U.S. soldiers from 2nd infantry division and 95 South Korean 6th Engineer Brigade soldiers built floating rafts to transport 14 tanks and 16 armored vehicles across the Imjin River in Yeoncheon. The U.S. and South Korea embarked on their first joint river-crossing exercise for 10 years today in the wake of increasing threats from North Korea 95 South Korean soldiers from 6th Engineer Brigade took part in the crossing of the Imjin River today More than 300 soldiers from the 30,000 American troops stationed in South Korea practised the drill with tanks and armored vehicles North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, is said to have fired three missiles at South Korean waters earlier this month The United States has about 30,000 troops in South Korea to support the country's 650,000-strong armed forces. North Korea has about 1.2million troops, mostly stationed along the border. The exercise involved the U.S. Army's M1A2 tank and soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team of 2nd infantry division. Ten days ago, South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the North fired three missiles at the South's eastern waters, though its intent was unclear. U.S. officials said North Korea recently withdrew two mid-range missiles believed to be capable of reaching Guam after moving them to the east coast earlier this year. Meanwhile, North Korea is still trying to import and export nuclear and ballistic missile-related items but financial and trade sanctions are slowing progress on development of their prohibited weapons, according to a recent UN report. South Korean soldiers seen during the exercise, which follow an accusation by the South that the North had launched three missiles earlier this month This joint exercise was the first of its kind for a decade Troops from 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team of 2nd infantry division and South Korean soldiers from 6th Engineer Brigade were on the river Key parts of the report provide further information on North Korea's attempts to evade four rounds of increasingly tough UN sanctions aimed at reining in its development of nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to deliver them. While sanctions have not halted these programmes, the panel said, 'it has in all likelihood considerably delayed the (North's) timetable, and through the imposition of financial sanctions and the bans on the trade in weapons, has choked off significant funding which would have been channelled into prohibited activities'. The drill used floating tank transporters on the Imjin river The river crossing exercise came a month after the 'Foal Eagle' military drills ended The exercise took place in Yeoncheon-gun, South Korea, with the flags of both countries adorning tanks The floating rafts for transporting heavy military vehicles were seen at the exercise today in Yeoncheon, South Korea South Korean soldiers from 6th Engineer Brigade in the large river-crossing exercise today The river crossing exercise was a rehearsal for the joint US and South Korean response to a show of the North's military strength Soldiers and M1A2 tanks from the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division and South Korean 6th Engineer Brigade Soldiers cross a river during their combined exercise at the Imjin river