THE United States, South Korea and Japan conducted combined naval exercises today in their latest provocation against North Korea, raising regional tensions even further.

This came as the three countries’ senior diplomats were to meet in Seoul to discuss the growing confrontation with Pyongyang.

Described by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as an exercise being carried out by the US and its “top-class stooges,” the war games in waters off South Korea's Jeju island came as North Korea pressed on with its programme of weapons testing.

Addressing his country’s parliament on Monday, Mr Kim declared that Pyongyang would abandon its long-standing commitment to peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered a rewriting of the North’s constitution to eliminate the idea of shared statehood.

His spoke the day after the North had conducted its first ballistic test of this year.

The right-wing government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been expanding military co-operation and training with the US and Japan, which Mr Kim has described as invasion rehearsals. 

During his speech to the supreme people’s assembly, Mr Kim accused  the US and its allies of being obsessed with confrontation and repeated a warning that the North would fight back if provoked.