South Korea's military said Tuesday it will begin its annual exercise this week as part of its move to beef up joint warfighting capabilities against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the annual Hoguk Exercise is to take place from Oct. 29 through Nov. 6 this year, involving the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marines together.
"The exercise is held to review the interoperability, simultaneity and integrity of the operational assets and to improve combined warfighting capabilities," the JCS said in a press release.
The upcoming drill is one of three major annual defense exercises of the South Korean military, along with the Taegeuk and Hwarang exercises.
In addition to its own drills, the South Korean military also conducts an exercise jointly with the U.S. twice a year.