U.S. and South Korea announced new naval exercise:

South Korea and the United States conducted joint anti-submarine exercises in another show of force to deter North Korea, authorities said Friday, while Pyongyang renewed its threats against the maneuvers.

The exercises will be the second of a series of joint exercises that the Allies planned in response to the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which has been attributed to North Korea.

Both sides held large-scale naval exercises in July, followed by South Korea did independently last month.

The new moves will be made from Sunday to Thursday in the waters of the west coast of the Korean peninsula with the participation of some 17,000 Americans and South Koreans, seven ships and two submarines and aircraft, according to the Joint Chiefs of Korea South and the U.S. military in Seoul.

The exercises are “designed to send a clear deterrent message to North Korea, while improved anti-submarine capabilities of the alliance,” the U.S. military said in a statement.

Uriminzokkiri website, operated by the North Korean government said Friday that “our army and people will mercilessly hit if the instigators of the war made a reckless provocation.”

North Korea makes such threats often. The joint exercises in July and those carried by South Korea in August took place without incident.