South Korea and the United States will perform joint artillery firing drills this month to demonstrate their combat readiness against North Korea's provocations, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
  

The South Korean and U.S. military will showcase their joint artillery power in four drill sessions this month, including one set for later in the day, the ministry said in  statement.
  

About 2,000 South Korean and U.S. troops from 47 military units will join the drills, which will feature South Korea's newly deployed high-tech weaponry like K-2 tanks, K-21 armored vehicles, Surion choppers and FA-50 Fighting Eagle combat jets, as well as a multi-launch rocket system.
  

U.S. Forces Korea will deploy Bradley fighting vehicles, Paladin howitzers, Apache helicopters and A-10 bombers.
  

"The exercises will showcase the national military's combat readiness, which is capable of completely retaliating to and destroying any enemy that provokes through joint South Korea-U.S. operations," the statement said, referring to the North's recent mine attack in the demilitarized zone.
  

The attack maimed two South Korean staff sergeants.
  

The joint artillery drill was first launched in 1977, with the last one held in 2012.
  

This year's exercise features the participation of the biggest numbers of new weapons and troops to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule, the statement noted.

About 12,000 civilians, foreign military attaches and security experts will observe the drills to be held at an Army training field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
  

"Our military stands prepared to powerfully retaliate for the enemy's provocations and devastate them and stand with a strong fight-tonight posture," the statement said. (Yonhap)