South Korea's military confirmed Sunday a joint naval exercise with the United States aimed at showcasing its military strength had been postponed due to an approaching typhoon.

The five-day drill, scheduled from September 5 to 9, had been delayed and new dates had not yet been set, a spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP.

"There will be no exercise activities today due to the nearing Typhoon Malou, and we will soon announce a new date to start the drill," he said.

The latest manoeuvres are part of a flurry of military drills staged by Seoul -- either alone or with the United States -- as a show of force against North Korea after its alleged attack on a South Korean warship.

Seoul and Washington, citing a multinational investigation, accused Pyongyang of torpedoing the Cheonan corvette in March and killing 46 sailors.

The communist state vehemently denies the charge and threatened retaliation over military drills staged near the tense inter-Korea sea border, calling them a prelude for invasion.

The upcoming naval drill in the Yellow Sea off the west coast is due to involve two guided-missile destroyers, an ocean surveillance ship, a fast-attack submarine and P-3C Orion surveillance planes from the US military.

South Korea will mobilise four destroyers, at least one frigate, P-3C planes and a submarine, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday, adding that a total of 1,700 personnel from the two countries would take part.

South Korea's weather forecaster said Typhoon Malou, advancing northwards from Japan's Okinawa island, was expected to hit the Korean peninsula around Tuesday night, warning of strong winds and high waves.

Five people were killed when Typhoon Kompasu hammered South Korea last week, causing power outages at tens of thousands of homes and forcing airlines to cancel or divert domestic and international flights.