South Korea will hold its biggest-ever joint military drills with the United States this year to counter North Korea's provocations, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Sunday.

The announcement came hours after the North launched a long-range rocket as part of its continual push for intercontinental ballistic missile tests, banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

"The countermeasure includes military action to correspond to North Korea's military provocations to deter further provocations, along with holding a high-tech, biggest-ever military drill this year," said Army. Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-hyun, a senior official at the JCS.

The remarks were made during an emergency meeting with ruling-party lawmakers at the National Assembly

The two allies have carried out annual joint exercises -- Key Resolve and Foal Eagle -- since the 1990s to better deter North Korean aggression. The North claims the drills are rehearsal for a northward invasion.

Kim, however, did not give further details.

"The Seoul government will expand anti-N.K. loudspeaker broadcasts by increasing the number of speakers and time of the broadcasts," Kim said.

South Korea resumed playing loudspeaker broadcasts criticizing the North Korean regime since it conducted what it claims was a successful hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6.(Yonhap)