SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States plan to hold drills this year on islands near a disputed western sea border between ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported Tuesday citing an unspecified military source.

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The allies are currently discussing details of the exercise and planning to hold a separate landing drill off eastern and western coasts of the Korean peninsula this year, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency quoted an unnamed military official as saying.

The drills, if held, would mark yet another joint show of force by the allies, which have condemned the last November's shelling by DPRK one of the front-line border islands in the Yellow Sea an "unprovoked attack," which killed four people from the ROK including two civilians.

DPRK said it was a self-defensive measure against ROK and US forces then engaged in a routine drill.

Meanwhile, Seoul and Washington are set to hold massive annual exercises dubbed Key Resolve/Foal Eagle later this month, which will mobilize some 12,500 US troops and more than 200,000 ROK troops.