Updated at 17:15 KST to include information about the location of the drill on the east coast.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently guided an artillery drill of Korean People’s Army (KPA) units, state media reported on Friday, the sixth exercise of its kind by the country since late February.

The “drill of mortar sub-units” was ordered by surprise by Kim, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported (English/Korean), and was conducted in the format of a firing competition of the 2nd and 10th Army Corps.

The exercise comes ahead of a planned gathering of