Seoul - North Korea faces international sanctions if it carries through with an upcoming missile launch, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan warned Wednesday.

North Korea's missile programme represents a serious threat to world security because Pyongyang could link it with its nuclear programme, the minister added.

Seoul- The United States and South Korean military forces announced Wednesday plans for this year's annual exercises in March, coming amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The combined exercises "Key Resolve" for training commanders and the field manoeuvre "Foal Eagle" will take place March 9-20, the combined forces command CFC said.

In keeping with policy, communist North Korea was being informed of the military exercises, which the CFC stressed were exclusively "defense-oriented."

Pyeongchang, South Korea - Kati Wilhelm of Germany won the women's 15-kilometre individual race in Pyeongchang Wednesday to claim her second gold medal at this year's biathlon world championships.

Three-time Olympic champion Wilhelm missed just one target on her way to victory in a time of 44 minutes 3.1 seconds. Teja Gregorin of Slovenia also picked up one penalty on her way to silver, 39.5 seconds behind Wilhelm.

Norway's Tora Berger missed one target too as she finished in the bronze-medal position, 46.5 seconds adrift of the winner.

Wellington  - South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak will make an official visit to New Zealand on March 3-4, Prime Minister John Key announced on Wednesday.

Key said they would discuss improving economic links between the two countries which are preparing to negotiate a free trade pact.

He said South Korea was an important bilateral and regional partner for New Zealand and his country's sixth-largest export market.

Lee will speak at a New Zealand-Korea Economic Forum which will discuss strengthening ties between the two business communities.

Seoul - Lee Myung Bak on Tuesday became the first South Korean president in five years to preside over a national security meeting in the wake of a series of threats from North Korea.

The focus of the annual gathering - which brought together 200 military, intelligence, security and local government officials - is defending South Korea from "enemy infiltration and provocation of limited scale," the Defence Ministry said.

South Korea fears tensions with its Stalinist neighbour could escalate into a limited military altercation, possibly over the two countries' contested border in the Yellow Sea.

Pyeongchang, South Korea  - Ole Einar Bjoerndalen won his third gold medal at the biathlon world championships with victory in the 20-kilometre individual race in Pyeongchang on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old Norwegian crossed the line 14.1 seconds ahead of Christoph Stephan of Germany, with Jakov Fak of Croatia clinching bronze.

Bjoerndalen, already the most successful biathlete in the history of the world championships, now has a record 87 World Cup wins in ski sport, one more than Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in alpine skiing.