The United States and South Korea have wrapped up a joint military exercise by conducting river-crossing drills near the border with North Korea.



The Freedom Shield exercise kicked off on March 10. It was based on projected emergencies for the Korean Peninsula.



On Thursday, the US and South Korean militaries invited media crews to watch river-crossing drills in Yeoncheon in the province of Gyeonggi, located near the military demarcation line between the two Koreas.



Soldiers built a 180-meter-long pontoon bridge with equipment brought by vehicles and helicopters. The bridge allowed South Korean tanks and other vehicles to cross the river.



The South Korean military says that its forces have deepened cooperation with US counterparts through 51 field training sessions and other drills across the land, sea, air, cyber and space domains.



North Korea fired several ballistic missiles believed to be short-range toward the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula on the first day of the joint exercise.



The US and South Korea remain on alert for further North Korean provocations such as launches of ballistic missiles.