North Korea fortifying border: South Korea

Seoul, Dec. 30 (ANI): The South Korean Government on Thursday claimed that North Korea has boosted its special forces and deployed huge artillery guns and a new kind of tank close to the heavily fortified border.

A Defense Ministry report issued once every two years, warned that Pyongyang will rely on its nuclear program as a counterweight to South Korea's high-tech military, CBS News reports.

It said North Korea has 200,000 special operations forces, an increase from 180,000 in its last previous assessment in 2008. It says those forces are aimed at infiltrating and disrupting sensitive facilities.

The update on North Korea's military came amid lingering tension following a North Korean artillery attack that killed four people on a front-line island last month. (ANI)