S. Korea to kick off annual Hoguk exercise next week

South Korea's military will commence its annual Hoguk defense field exercise next week, starting Monday for a five-day period, officials announced on Thursday. The exercise, aimed at bolstering joint operational capabilities and readiness of the armed forces, will encompass land, maritime, and air domains. This year's drills will mirror the scale of the 2025 exercise, incorporating simulated combat training and opposing forces operations to better reflect real-world threats.

Additionally, the United States Forces Korea will join the drills to improve interoperability with South Korean troops.

Hoguk, which began in 1996, seeks to strengthen the military's combat readiness by enhancing interoperability across multiple domains. This year, South Korea also plans to run two of the seven field training exercises with the U.S. that were postponed due to the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) - a joint exercise that was prematurely concluded by U.S. President Donald Trump in a bid to ease tensions with North Korea.

The UFS, originally slated from August 17-27, was significantly shortened, leading to the rescheduling of the remaining five field maneuvers within the current year.