An anchor of the North's official Korean Central TV reads a statement released by the regime's defense ministry in this screenshot from Nov. 23, 2023. Yonhap

North Korea said Friday it had carried out naval artillery live-fire exercises as a "natural response and countermeasure" to South Korean drills, slamming Seoul's claim it had threatened peace on the Korean Peninsula, state media reported.

Pyongyang's drills did "not even have any indirect impact on Baengnyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island," where residents were told to evacuate by local authorities, according to KCNA's report. (AFP)