Robotic dogs could be deployed in underground tunnels to help defeat North Korean troops in battle.

New images show the South Korean army using dog-like robots during military drills with the United States, as the allies train for a potential combat in North Korea’s extensive network of fortified tunnels.

This week roughly 370 troops from the two countries are taking part in a four-day exercise in Paju, close to the border with North Korea, to simulate an assault within Kim Jong-un’s subterranean passageways – an activity considered more critical since the war in Gaza.

Hamas has used its network of military tunnels in Gaza to hold hostages, smuggle weapons and enable its leaders to escape.

There are concerns that similar scenarios could unfold in North Korea, which has built a massive network of underground shelters, command centres and weapon stores. The persistent digging has been ongoing since the Korean War decades ago, when infrastructure was flattened and 282,000 people killed during a relentless US bombardment.

As South Korean and US troops conducted their drills – practising sealing off and decontaminating tunnels, trapping and killing their occupants or fighting their way inside – they were joined by drones and robots.