Seoul: South Korea and the US on Wednesday staged joint air drills involving at least one US nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber, Seoul's military said.

North Korea has responded to other recent drills with a series of increasingly provocative banned weapons tests because it sees such exercises as invasion drills.

In recent weeks, it conducted the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and tested what the state-run media described as an underwater drone with nuclear capability.

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Since the beginning of 2022, Seoul and Washington officials have issued warnings that North Korea might conduct its seventh nuclear test, with some experts speculating that it might happen soon.

As a result of the escalating threats, defence cooperation between the US and South Korea has increased.

"The continuous deployment of major US strategic assets on the Korean peninsula is considered an act to enhance the US determination to defend South Korea and the ability to implement extended deterrence," South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

A month after its previous deployment, the US B-52H was redeployed to the Korean peninsula on Wednesday, according to the statement.

Wednesday's exercise also featured South Korea's advanced F-35A fighter jet, it added.

In the past, the North has shown a particular sensitivity to air drills, and experts have noted that its air force is its military's weakest link.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently called for a "exponential" increase in the production of weapons, including tactical nukes. In March, he directed the military to step up training in anticipation of a "real war."

Using the "full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear," Washington has repeatedly reaffirmed its "ironclad" commitment to defending South Korea.

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For its part, South Korea is eager to assuage its public, which is growing more concerned about the US's commitment to so-called extended deterrence, which uses US military resources, including nuclear weapons, to deter attacks on allies.