North Korea to start state-wide military drills - South

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is conducting a series of military drills and is getting ready for state-wide war practice of an unusual scale, South Korea's defence ministry said on Thursday, as tensions grow ahead of more sanctions being devised against Pyongyang.

South Korea and the United States, which are conducting their own annual military drills until the end of April, are watching the North Korea's activities for signs it will go from exercise to an actual attack, a South Korean official said.