Military to Hold 'Hoguk Exercise' from 19 to 30

Two Combined Exercises Postponed During UFS to Be Held Alongside the Hoguk Exercise

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on October 15 that it will conduct the 2026 Hoguok exercise, its annual field training exercise, from October 19 to 30. Hoguok is a large-scale field exercise held in the second half of each year to strengthen the South Korean military's ability to defend the country independently.

The JCS said it would "integrate and operate joint forces across multiple domains on land, at sea and in the air to strengthen jointness and combat readiness." It added that, taking into account recent patterns of warfare and realistic threats, it would conduct realistic field exercises, including the deployment of actual opposing forces and two-sided drills. The JCS also said it would "establish a firm state of readiness to respond immediately to any threat by holding command post exercises led by the JCS Combat Staff Group alongside various tactical discussions."

Yonhap News Agency

The forces participating in the exercise will be at a level similar to previous years, and, as in past years, some U.S. Forces Korea personnel will also take part. Of the seven combined field exercises that could not be held after the joint South Korea-U.S. exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) ended early in August at the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump, two will be conducted alongside this year's Hoguok exercise. The JCS said the remaining five will be completed by the end of the year.

The JCS added that "a large number of troops and equipment are expected to move along major roads during the exercise," and said, "We anticipate some traffic congestion and noise, but ask the public for their understanding and support, as this exercise is being conducted for national defense."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.