This handout photo taken on August 30, 2023 and provided by the Republic of Korea Defense Ministry shows an ROK Army K1A2 tank firing during a live-fire combat drill at a training ground in Cheorwon, as part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills between ROK and the United States. (HANDOUT / TOK DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP)

SEOUL – The Republic of Korea and the United States on Monday kicked off a joint military exercise amid concerns from neighbor countries.

The annual springtime war game, Freedom Shield (FS), will continue for 11 days through March, ROK's defense ministry said.

A variety of combined field training exercises will be staged in sea, land and air to bolster the interoperability and enhance the combined operation capabilities.

READ MORE: DPRK, ROK conduct live-fire drills along sea boundary

During the war game, US military strategic assets such as strategic bombers and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be likely to be deployed around the Korean Peninsula, according to Yonhap news agency.

This handout photo taken on August 31, 2023 and provided by the Republic of Korea Defense Ministry shows ROK soldiers disembarking from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during an air assault drill at a training ground in Jangseong, as part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills between the ROK  and the United States. (HANDOUT / ROK DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP)

Seoul and Washington have insisted that the joint drill is defensive in nature, but the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has denounced it as a dress rehearsal for a northward invasion.