The drills are planned as tensions between the two countries remain high. But these drills were scheduled in 2009, well before the November shelling of a the RoK island by the DPRK, army officials said.

More than 800 military personnel will take place in the exercise in Pocheon, roughly 15 miles away from the DPRK, and it will begin at 2 p.m., a media officer from the RoK army said. There will also be six fighter jets, anti-tank missiles, and will involve more than 100 types of weapons, the army said.

The RoK's navy also opened regular exercises in the East Sea on Wednesday that will run for four days.

The RoK also held live-fire military exercises earlier this week, a move that the DPRK said could ignite a war.

Both Koreas have traded tough talk and conducted military drills in the weeks after the the DPRK shelling of the RoK island.