The US military has announced it will practise evacuating Americans from South Korea as tensions continue to escalate in the north.

Next week’s drill, known as Courageous Channel, is intended to teach Department of Defence employees and family members how to respond to “a wide range of crisis management events,” including evacuations and natural disasters, according to a statement from the US military.

The drill is carried out twice per year, but has attracted more attention of late due to increasing tensions with North Korea. The US military even issued a news release on Sunday to reiterate that the drill is a “routinely scheduled” exercise.

Drills will include readiness briefings, document and passport inspection, roster updates, and "limited" rehearsals, according to the military. The scale and focus of the exercises will be similar to past iterations.

General Vincent K Brooks, commander of United States Forces Korea, said the exercise is “not directly tied to current geopolitical events,” but stressed its importance nonetheless.

“This training is as important to readiness as our other routine events such as tank gunnery and fighter wing exercises,” he said.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

North Korea made headlines this summer by conducting its sixth-ever nuclear test and launching mid-range missiles over Japan. US President Donald Trump has responded by threatening “fire and fury” on the country.

The standoff between the two countries has put North Korea’s southern neighbour in the cross hairs. According to retired US Air Force brigadier general Rob Givens, an estimated 20,000 people in South Korea could die every day in a war between the US and North Korea.

An estimated 140,000 Americans currently live in South Korea, according to the Korea Immigration Service. More than 28,00 of those are US military personnel.

Map: North Korea and Guam

This week, the US and South Korea launched a five-day joint naval exercise in the waters around the Korean Peninsula. The drill will involve fighter jets, helicopters and 40 naval ships, according to the Associated Press.

North Korea views such drills as practise for an invasion.

“Such military acts compel [North Korea] to take military counteraction," said Kim Kwang Hak, a researcher at North Korea’s foreign ministry.