South Korea and the United States have reportedly discussed holding a combined submarine exercise next year amid a growing threat from North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

According to the South Korean military, Rear Admiral Lee Su-youl, commander of the South Korean Navy Submarine Force, recently visited the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Group 7 and Submarine Squadron 15 at the naval base in Guam for the bilateral Submarine Warfare Committee Meeting.

In the meeting, the allies reportedly discussed ways to improve the combined operational capabilities of submarines and theater anti-submarine warfare operations, with talks on conducting the "Silent Shark" combined anti-submarine warfare exercise in the middle of next year.

The two sides also discussed the U.S.' provision of submarine weapons systems and special warfare support in the event of an emergency, as well as ways to activate the strategic deployment of U.S. submarines.

The naval drill has been held every other year since 2007 after the U.S. Navy decided that its fleet comprised exclusively of nuclear-powered submarines need to enhance its capacity to deal with diesel-powered submarines in warfare.