North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed an artillery drill that simulated striking military targets in South Korea, Pyongyang's media said Friday, as the UN Security Council adopted another sanctions resolution.

On Thursday, Kim guided the exercise of his front-line units, which were tasked with striking South Korean islands south of the inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The exercise was timed with the UNSC's imposition of sanctions to punish North Korea for its September nuclear test.

The UNSC decided Wednesday to slap a significant cap on Pyongyang's exports of coal and apply other restrictions on the reclusive state in a bid to cut off the main source of hard currency. Cutting the inflow of money will make it harder for Pyongyang to pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

In an apparent protest against the U.N. move, the North's leader said that "nobody and nothing" could survive the North Korean military's strikes.

"If a war breaks out, such a deadly strike should be inflicted upon the South Korean forces to completely break their will of counteraction at the start and make a clean sweep of them," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

The report said that the artillery drill was carried out on the first day of North Korea's combat and political training for 2017.

It is part of the military's winter training program, which usually runs from early December until April in the following year.

Kim said that the year 2017 is "of significance" as it marks the 105th birth anniversary of late founder Kim Il-sung and the 75th birth anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il, late father of Kim Jong-un. The year also marks the 85th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army.

Seoul's unification ministry has said that North Korea is fully prepared to carry out more nuclear and missile provocations at any time.

Pyongyang is taking a wait-and-see mode to assess policy directions under way in the United States after Donald Trump won last month's presidential race. But experts said that the North could make provocative acts around its key anniversaries in December to boost its internal solidarity.

Dec. 17 marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il, and the country's incumbent leader will also mark the fifth anniversary of him assuming the supreme commandership of the military on Dec. 30. (Yonhap)