S. Korea to postpone Hoguk military exercise to November for APEC summit

This photo shows F-15K fighters taking part in the Hoguk exercise, Oct. 25, 2024. Courtesy of the Air Force

South Korea's military said Thursday it will postpone the annual large-scale field training set for mid-October to next month, citing the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The Hoguk exercise, initially scheduled to run from Oct. 20-24, will be rescheduled to Nov. 17-21, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The decision was made in order to maintain a "thorough military readiness posture" to ensure South Korea's successful hosting of the multilateral diplomatic event, the JCS said in a release.

The APEC summit will be held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

The JCS also said the exercise overlaps with the schedules of this year's parliamentary audit of government agencies, taking place from Oct. 13-30, and the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX), a key defense expo set for Oct. 17-24.

The rescheduling of the Hoguk drills also appears to reflect the efforts of President Lee Jae Myung's administration to ease tensions with North Korea and improve inter-Korean relations.

Launched in 1996, the Hoguk exercise is aimed at enhancing the interoperability of the armed forces and strengthening the military's readiness posture.

South Korea postponed some field training exercises linked to the large-scale annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise in mid-August to September. The North has long denounced the combined exercise as rehearsals for an invasion.