SEOUL The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan is expected to dock at the South Korean port of Busan this week, South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The carrier is due to arrive on Thursday in Busan and remain there until Oct 16, the ministry said.

Last year, the carrier arrived in South Korea for the first time in about four years, joining other military vessels in a show of force intended to send a message to North Korea.

The South Korean and U.S. navies held joint maritime drills with Japan's defence force in waters near South Korea's Jeju Island on Monday and Tuesday, the South Korean navy said.

The trilateral drills, which are the first of this kind since 2016, are aimed at deterring and responding to North Korea's "advancing nuclear and missile threats", the navy said in a press statement.

(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Ed Davies)