South Korea, the U.S., and Japan held a joint air drill on Friday over international waters south of Jeju Island, involving a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber.

This marks the bomber’s first deployment to the Korean Peninsula this year.

The defense ministry gave a notice to reporters on Friday that South Korea deployed KF-16 fighter jets for the drill, while Japan sent F-2 jets from its Air Self-Defense Force as part of the drills.

The exercise coincided with the 22nd trilateral Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting held in Seoul earlier in the day, involving the top military brass from the three countries.

Seoul’s defense ministry said the drill was aimed at strengthening deterrence and response capabilities against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.

This is the second trilateral air drill conducted since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration on June 4.