The defense ministry said South Korea and the United States held combined air drills on Wednesday, involving at least one U.S. nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber.

According to the ministry, South Korean Air Force's F-35A fighters and America's F-35B and F-16 fighters also participated in the drills. 

The deployment of the B-52H Stratofortress to the Korean Peninsula comes about a month after its last deployment for the allies' joint air drills. 

The ministry said that the training focused on practicing operations and maneuvers to protect the strategic bomber from potential aerial enemy threats, with an emphasis on strengthening interoperability and combined operational capabilities. 

The ministry said the B-52H strategic bomber is a key U.S. strategic asset along with the U.S. aircraft carrier that visited South Korea last week.

It added that continuous deployment of major U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula shows Washington is putting into action its commitment to the defense of South Korea and enhancing its extended deterrence execution capability.