SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top military officer visited units near the border with North Korea on Tuesday to check their readiness amid key drills with U.S. forces, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Young-sung inspected a border guard post under the 7th Infantry Division in the central front-line area, a day after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off the annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, according to the JCS.

The inspection comes amid concerns over possible North Korean provocations during the drills, which Pyongyang has long denounced as an invasion rehearsal.

Seoul and Washington maintain their drills are defensive in nature.

Jin also visited another division border unit to be briefed on its border guard operations, according to the JCS.

He urged troops to thoroughly prepare for possible North Korean provocations, noting their increased likelihood during the allied drills, the JCS said.

The visit also took place after another unit was recently found to have allowed its soldiers to serve guard duties with unloaded weapons to minimize accidental discharges. The head of the 1st Corps has been relieved of duty over the lax practice.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

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