South Korea and the United States began joint maritime exercises with a US aircraft carrier on Friday, October 7. South Korea's defence ministry said that the maritime drills will take place in waters off South Korea's east coast on 7-8th of October. <br />''<br />''It said, both countries will continue to strengthen their operational capabilities and readiness to respond to any provocations by North Korea through joint drills.<br />''<br />''The drills come after North Korea launched a pair of ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, October 6, and later flew warplanes near the border with the South.<br />''<br />''The US strike group already participated in trilateral missile defense exercises with warships from Japan and South Korea this week, prompted by a test on Tuesday in which North Korea launched a ballistic missile that overflew part of Japan.<br />