South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a two-day joint naval drill this week on South Korea's east coast as part of efforts to enhance their joint military readiness, officers here said Monday.

The allies "are scheduled to conduct the exercise for two days starting Tuesday in the East Sea," a naval officer here said, requesting anonymity.

The joint exercise involves two U.S. Aegis destroyers, including the 9,200-ton USS Mustin (DDG 89), which arrived at the port city of Donghae on Sunday, and Seoul's 3,200-ton Aegis destroyer called Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer, a submarine and two Lynx helicopters, he added.

"The focus of the drills is on honing the joint ability to detect possible infiltrations of enemies into our territorial waters and destroy them," another naval officer said. "It is part of the annual regular exercises between the two nations."

The planned exercise comes amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula after the U.S. rejected an offer from North Korea last week that it would halt its nuclear test should Seoul and Washington temporarily shelve their plan for joint military exercises this year.

Dismissing Pyongyang's claim that the Seoul-Washington exercises are a rehearsal for northward invasion, the allies have vowed to continue the drills as they are defensive in nature. (Yonhap)