The anti-submarine drills were originally scheduled for last month in a response to the sinking of the ROK navy vessel, Cheonan, which left 46 crew dead, in March.
The ROK announced in May that the warship was torpedoed by a submarine of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but the DPRK immediately denied involvement, saying the investigation results were fabricated.
Seoul's Ministry of Defense confirmed Thursday the joint South Korea-U.S.joint naval drill was expected to be staged this month, starting in waters off the country's east coast.
According to the ministry, the exact date of the drill will be decided next week when defense and foreign ministers of the two countries meet in Seoul at so-called "two-plus-two" security talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will visit Seoul next week to discuss the bilateral alliance.
