South Korean, US navies end manoeuvres in Yellow Sea

Further drills were planned to dissuade North Korea from any more provocation, the officials were quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency, without specifying any future dates.

North Korean artillery bombarded a South Korean island near the disputed maritime border Nov 23, killing two soldiers and two civilians, and wounding over a dozen others.

The naval drills, which were planned before the attack, went ahead in the face of objections from Pyongyang in order to demonstrate Washington's commitment to its ally Seoul, officials said at the time.

The manoeuvres included the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier USS George Washington, 7,300 personnel and 10 more vessels from the two navies, Yonhap said.