Seoul, Mar 7 (IANS): South Korean fighter jets staged a live-fire exercise on Thursday to bolster readiness against North Korean cruise missile and artillery threats, the Air Force said, in the wake of Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling.

The training took place over waters off the west coast, involving more than 10 fighter jets, in connection with the annual South Korea-US Freedom Shield exercise that began earlier this week, according to the Air Force.

During the air drills, KF-16 and FA-50 jets fired air-to-air missiles to shoot down two targets simulating enemy cruise missiles detected by air defence radar systems, Yonhap news agency reported.

The Air Force also mobilised FA-50 and F-5 aircraft to drop guided bombs to destroy simulated enemy long-range artillery, it said.

The exercise took place as North Korea has ratcheted up tensions with a series of military demonstrations, including artillery firing near the western sea border and a series of launches of what it claimed to be new missiles.