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Smoke rises during a rocket firing drill of the strategic force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang July 27, 2014. REUTERS/KCNA

North Korea's Central News Agency Sunday confirmed dictator Kim Jong Un oversaw a rocket-firing drill aimed at U.S. forces in South Korea. The Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting KCNA, the firing took place Saturday, the 61st anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

U.S. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, condemned the North's recent antics, which are stoking tensions on the peninsula, Yonhap said.

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile from its east coast Saturday. The missile flew about 310 miles before splashing into the sea, the Associated Press reported. North Korea has been stepping up its test fires since Kim took over from his late father, Kim Jong Il.

North and South Korea are still in a state of war because the 1953 armistice has never been replaced by a peace treaty. The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea.