Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov harshly criticises military activity near North Korea, warning on Friday the situation may slip out of control.

Lavrov implicitly criticised provocative U.S. bomber flights over South Korea that came after threats from Pyongyang.

He also said North Korea should cool down too, calling on "all sides not to flex their military muscle."

North Korean media released photos of leader Kim Jong-un on Friday presiding over an emergency military meeting, where he put missile units on standby to attack U.S. bases in South Korea and the Pacific.

North's state-run television KRT broadcast a video of Kim attending a mass meeting with members of the army on Thursday.

The United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula from the U.S. and back, designed to show America's ability to conduct precision strikes.

Tension has been high since North Korea conducted a third nuclear weapons test in February