Seoul, June 16 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised an unusual, live-fire artillery drill at night, state-owned KCNA agency reported on Tuesday.

The drill comes as a fresh demonstration of the Communist regime's military strength.

"Naval bombardment was kicked off and various types of ground artillery pieces including multiple rockets opened fire at 'enemy' warships, intruding into the waters of the DPRK (North Korea), all of a sudden under the cover of pitch darkness and dense fog," said KCNA, the mouthpiece of the regime.

Kim, who personally supervised the artillery drill, was "pleased" as he watched the artillery pieces and warships "mercilessly" hit the simulated naval targets, KCNA said and published photos of the exercise.

Though the exact date of the drill was not mentioned, the agency said Kim arrived at the observation point at 3 a.m., an unusual hour for him as he prefers participating in such activities during the day.

Meanwhile, the South Korean armed forces are keeping a close watch on North Korea over the possibility of new "provocations" including missile tests and military drills, a Defense Ministry spokesperson from Seoul told Efe news agency.

News about the artillery drill comes just a day after North Korea, through its state media, indicated for the first time after months of tension that it was open to possible contacts with Seoul in the future.

However, Pyongyang put forward conditions that South Korea has refused to accept, which includes suspension of its annual joint military drills with the US.