South Korea's military will kick off its annual nationwide war exercise scrambling all branches of service next week to bolster its defense posture against potential North Korean threats, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.
  
This year's 12-day Hoguk Exercise will kick off on Monday, involving the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marine Corps, according to the JCS.
  
The war drill will focus on enhancing the military branches' joint combat capabilities on land as well as in the air and on the seas to guard against North Korea's potential regional or all-out military provocations, the military said. 
   
About 330,000 military servicemen will join the annual exercise to be conducted nationwide including the front-line border areas, the military noted. Some U.S. military forces plan to join part of the planned local exercise, it added.
  
Hoguk replaced the Team Spirit exercise in 1996 and has focused on fostering joint capabilities among all service branches.
  
The Koreas remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice. About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are stationed here to deter against a North Korean threat. (Yonhap)