SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States will stage a joint naval drill in waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula next week, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed to Xinhua Wednesday.

The US will send the USS George Washington carrier strike to join ROK's naval forces in the four-day drill, slated from November 28 to December 1, according to a statement issued by the US Forces Korea (USFK).

The exercise will be "defensive in nature", the statement said.

While the drill has been planned well before "the trade fire between the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday. It demonstrates the strength of the ROK-US Alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence. It is also designed to improve our military interoperability," it added.

ROK and the DPRK exchanged fire in waters off the west coast of the divided peninsula Tuesday, during which some shells landed on ROK's Yeonpyeong Island near the contentious sea border called Northern Limit Line (NLL).
The exchange of fire left at least two ROK marines killed and 16 others injured, while damages to the DPRK have not to be verified yet.