The United States has reaffirmed its “unwavering” commitment to the defense of South Korea, while declining to comment on speculation about possible changes to its troop deployment in the region.

South Korea’s military reported scrambling fighter jets on Tuesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered and then left its air defence zone, News.Az reports, citing Reuters. 

The United States and South Korea announced they will carry out regular joint military drills from August 18 to prepare for potential emergencies on the Korean Peninsula. However, some exercises will be postponed until September, possibly as an effort to reduce tensions with North Korea.

South Korea's Defense Ministry stated on Friday that it has not engaged in any discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the possible withdrawal of American troops from the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea and the United States on Tuesday staged joint air drills, involving at least one U.S. B-1B bomber, over the Korean Peninsula, the defense ministry said, in a show of force against North Korean military threats.

UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo expressed deep concerns on Wednesday about the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. She emphasized that North Korea continues to pursue its five-year military plan, initiated in January 2021, instead of adhering to its international obligations, News.az reports citing foreign media.

North Korea is reportedly building unidentified structures on an eastern inter-Korean road that it had destroyed last week, amid escalating tensions regarding its border activities.

On Saturday, North Korea announced it had found the remains of at least one crashed South Korean military drone in the capital, Pyongyang.

The South Korean army on Friday conducted rocket artillery drills near its border with North Korea, firing live rounds into waters off the east coast in a show its firepower.