SEOUL - South Korea and the United States on Thursday staged a joint live-fire drill in Pocheon, northeast of Seoul, as part of the annual Foal Eagle military exercise.

Some 100 South Korean and 200 US soldiers took part in the two-hour drill that involved K-55 self-propelled howitzers and M- 109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers.

The live-fire drill aimed at improving the capabilities of South Korean and US forces to carry out combined operations.

A South Korean military officer told Yonhap news agency that the live-fire exercise was an opportunity to check the operation status of the two sides' equipment and exchange their military strategies.

The live-fire drill was part of the annual Foal Eagle exercise that began on March 1 and runs through April 30.

About 200,000 South Korean forces and 11,000 US forces are participating in the Foal Eagle exercise that includes joint air, ground and naval training exercises.

Another set of joint military exercises, called the Key Resolve, was conducted between February 27 and March 9, mainly involving computer simulations.

US Army M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers of the Second Infantry Devision of US Forces Korea attend a live firing drill in Pocheon, about 46 km (28 miles) northeast of Seoul and about 15 km (9 miles) south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, March 15, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

US soldiers of the Second Infantry Devision of US Forces Korea and South Korean army soldiers pose after their live firing drill in Pocheon, March 15, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]