S. Korea to begin annual Hoguk defense exercise next week

South Korea will kick off an annual large-scale military exercise next week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday, amid heightened cross-border tensions from recent North Korean military activities. The Hoguk exercise will begin Sunday for a nearly three-week run in the wake of North Korea's explosions of inter-Korean roads earlier this week and continued launches of balloons carrying trash toward the South. This year's drills, involving all branches of the armed forces, will simulate "realistic" scenarios across multiple domains by considering aspects of recent conflicts as well as provocations likely to be undertaken by North Korea, according to the JCS. The exercise will mobilize more service members and equipment compared to last year, and also involve troops from the U.S. Forces Korea just as the previous year to boost the allies' combined operational capabilities, it said. "Amid North Korea's increasing rhetorical threats against the South, our military will enhance its strong combat capabil ities through the Hoguk exercise," the JCS said in a release. Launched in 1996, the annual Hoguk exercise is held in the second half of each year. Source: Yonhap News Agency