SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea confirmed on Tuesday that North Korea was carrying out a large-scale live-fire drill in areas around the city of Wonsan.

South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that the North Korean exercise was under way on Tuesday afternoon.

“Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military’s movement,” the office said.

The firing exercise took place on the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army, amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula over the North’s development of weapons.