North Korea has warned that impending joint military exercises including South Korea and the US are leaving the Korean peninsula teetering on “the brink of war”.

The comments follow North Korea’s artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island on 23 November, killing at least four people, including two marines.

The US Navy has sent a number of ships, including a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, to take part in drills in the Yellow Sea region, scheduled to commence on 28 November, which were planned in advance of recent tensions.

North Korea subsequently warned that second and third rounds of attacks were possible if “warmongers in South Korea made reckless military provocations again”.