"We believe that North Korea began their regular wintertime drills," Yonhap News Agency quoted Col. Kim Jun-rak, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), as saying at a briefing here. 

North Korea usually begins their winter military exercise in December, which continues through early spring. 

The spokesperson said that amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, this year's drills could be held in a smaller scale. 

Without any new major military moves this year, North Korea in October unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), along with diverse military assets during a military parade.