Turning to Arirang now, about two weeks after North Korea's latest nuke test,... the South Korean Army is in the thick of its regular winter training exercises. Most recently, they conducted a river-crossing drill -- a crucial operation on the peninsula during wartime. Kim Hyun-bin takes us closer to the action.

A fleet of K-2 Black Panther tanks cuts through a blizzard, ready for action.

[CG IN]
20th Army Division conducts winter river-crossing exercise

In less than a minute, the tanks have made a river crossing, firing off rounds of ammunition and dropping smoke bombs along the way... to deter the enemy.

Soon afterward, several bridge erection boats appear,... escorted by a fleet of Apache attack helicopters equipped with anti-tank missiles.
Within just an hour, the unit has built a 200-meter-long bridge,... and over 200 vehicles

[CAMERA]
Lee Ki-wook

carrying troops and loaded down with supplies... cross safely.
This is all part of the Korean 20th Army Division's weeklong winter river-crossing exercise in Chungcheongbuk-do province,... which got underway last Friday.

[Interview]
Park Sang-hyup / Battalion commander, 20th Army Division

(Korean)
"Our division is Korea's best mechanized unit and we go through intensive training. We are ready to extinguish any enemy provocations."

[CG IN]
Amphibious K-2 tanks join exercise for first time

This is the first time the amphibious K-2 tanks have been part of the exercise.

[Interview]
Kim Jong-hwan / K-2 platoon leader, 20th Army Division
(Korean)
"As the platoon leader, I am confident that no matter what the cause we will come out on top of our enemies."

[REPORTER]
Kim Hyun-bin

The Korean peninsula is covered with rivers both big and small, and given how many bridges could be destroyed in a time of war, the river-crossing operation is crucial,... providing the military with an important way of transporting troops and supplies.

The drill runs through Saturday.

Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.