programme and the South stages joint naval drills with the US.

Seoul, with a population of nearly 10 million, is just 56km from the border with North Korea, which has a vast arsenal of artillery pointed at the South Korean capital.

The South Korean military said that to take out the North Korean leadership it was developing a powerful surface-to-surface missile system, called the Hyunmoo-IV.

The report described a three-tier missile strike strategy, starting with a tactical surface-to-surface missile, an “artillery killer” called KTSSM.

Most of the North’s artillery equipment is camouflaged and embedded, and is deployed along the demilitarised zone (DMZ) dividing the two countries, which are still technically at war since the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953.

“KTSSM-I will strike the enemy’s tunnels with the 170mm self-propelledpeninsula in a show of force. The 100,000 ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was taking part in drills with South Korean navy involving 40 warships.

North Korea staged its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3rd and fired two missiles over Japan, prompting the UN Security Council to impose tougher sanctions on the country.