North Korea has conducted artillery firing drills to bolster its combat readiness posture, the North's state media reported on Tuesday, as South Korea and the United States prepare to kick off

South Korea's military is 20 percent smaller than it was six years ago as the world's lowest birth rate shrinks the pool of men available for enlistment, according to a new report from the country's defense ministry.

South Korea is grappling with a military personnel shortage as Kim Jong Un escalates North Korean military preparations, with not enough young men available for recruitment in the country. A recent report has estimated that the South's military has shrunk by 20 per cent over the past six years,