North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided a military demonstration involving tank units, state media KCNA reported on Thursday (March 14).

In photographs released by KCNA, the leader of the reclusive state was pictured peeking out of a tank, which state media said he drove himself on Wednesday (March 13).

The military event was designed to strictly inspect the actual combat capabilities of tank crews and make them familiar with combat action methods on different tactical missions, KCNA reported.

The drill involved units near the border that are in firing range of "the enemy's capital," KCNA added, referring to South Korean capital Seoul, which has nearly 10 million residents.

In South Korea, the joint annual drills with the U.S. known as the Freedom Shield exercises will come to an end on Thursday, the first of its kind since Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military pact in November.