The United States has sent the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to waters off South Korea for joint naval drills with its Asian ally amid simmering international outrage over the North's nuclear weapons program.
The large-scale naval drills, known as Invincible Spirit, kicked off Monday and are due to run for six days, the South's navy said in a statement.
On Monday, the allies carried out exercises involving ship-to-ground and submarine-to-ground cruise missiles with average flight ranges of up to 1,000 km, the South Korean Defense Ministry said.