Seoul: A U.S. aircraft carrier is not expected to join this year’s trilateral military exercise among South Korea, the United States, and Japan, officials said Tuesday. The three countries launched the multidomain Freedom Edge exercise for a five-day run on Monday in international waters east and south of South Korea’s southern island of Jeju.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the ongoing exercise marks the third round of the trilateral drills, following previous rounds conducted in June and November last year. The inaugural exercise was joined by the U.S. Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, while the second round involved the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.

A military official suggested the possibility of scheduling issues, noting that U.S. carrier strike groups have been assigned to the Middle East. The absence of a U.S. aircraft carrier comes amid efforts by Seoul and Washington to resume dialogue with North Korea.

North Korea has strongly protested against joint drills among the three nations, labeling them as an attempt to strengthen a “U.S.-led military bloc,” and warned of military action against such drills. The North has particularly reacted strongly to the deployment of U.S. strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and strategic bombers, to the Korean Peninsula.

On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the drill plans and warned that the “reckless muscle-flexing” would bring unfavorable consequences.