South Korea's army, navy and air force is all set to kick off its annual military drill Monday.
Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said that the Hokuk exercise would be carried out over a period of two weeks, Xinhua reported.
The drill, launched in 1996, serves to enhance a joint operational capability among the army, navy, air force and marine corps.
Kim said that this year's exercise would focus on establishing a high-level defence posture against possible North Korean provocations, adding that it would also be carried out in all areas covering the 155 mile inter-Korean border.
The drill this year would involve 330,000 troops, its largest-ever gathering.
Last year, about 80,000 soldiers participated in the exercise.
The drill would also include 23,000 mobile military equipments, 60 warships and numerous airplanes, Kim said.
