Busan: South Korea's Navy and Marine Corps are set to participate in the multinational Cobra Gold drills in Thailand, marking a significant effort to enhance interoperability with global forces, military officials announced. Approximately 390 personnel are scheduled to depart from a key naval base in Busan, approximately 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to join the annual exercise co-hosted by the United States and Thailand.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this year's exercise will take place from February 23 to March 6 and will include troops from 10 countries such as Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. South Korea's deployment will feature the 4,900-ton ROKS Nojeokbong landing ship, five KAAV amphibious assault vehicles, two K-55A1 self-propelled howitzers, and one K-30W Chunho wheeled anti-aircraft gun, marking the first overseas mobilization for the Chunho.

The participating troops will engage in various joint drills including amphibious landing, live-fire, special operations, and combined space and cyber defense exercises. Additionally, they will partake in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief drills, which will involve learning response measures for disaster situations and constructing a school auditorium for Thai students.

The Cobra Gold exercise, initiated in 1982, aims to train multinational forces in a variety of military and humanitarian procedures. South Korea has been a formal participant in the exercise since 2010, after observing it from 2002 to 2009.