SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea’s military said Saturday it detected North Korea removing some of its loudspeakers from the inter-Korean border, days after the South dismantled its own front-line speakers used for anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts, in a bid to ease tensions.

South Korea and the United States will conduct major joint military drills starting on August 18, officials said, although they will delay parts of the annual exercises that have been a source of tension with North Korea to later in the year.

South Korea and the US will launch their annual large-scale joint military exercises this month to bolster their readiness to counter North Korean threats, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.