Seoul: South Korea's military announced the postponement of its annual large-scale field training exercise initially scheduled for mid-October due to the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, as reported by local media.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Hoguk exercise, which was originally planned from October 20 to 24, will now take place from November 17 to 21. This decision was taken by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to maintain a "thorough military readiness posture" in preparation for South Korea's hosting of the APEC summit.

The multilateral diplomatic event is set to occur in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on October 31 and November 1. The rescheduling appears to align with President Lee Jae Myung's administration's efforts to reduce tensions with North Korea and improve inter-Korean relations.

First launched in 1996, the Hoguk exercise aims to enhance the interoperability of South Korea's armed forces and bolster the military's readiness posture. North Korea has consistently criticized these joint US-South Korea exercises, viewing them as rehearsals for an invasion.