Korea to send troops to peacekeeping drill in Mongolia

South Korea will dispatch troops to an annual multinational peacekeeping exercise set to kick off in Mongolia this week, the Marine Corps here said Wednesday.

Some 34 South Korean Marines as well as eight service members of the Army, Navy and Air Force will participate in the Khan Quest exercise in the landlocked country. The exercise is set for June 20 to July 1.

During the drill, the troops are scheduled to practice how to carry out operations in conflict areas, provide humanitarian aid and perform their duty of supporting those facing calamities, the Marine Corps said.

The field training and command post exercises are to take place in realistic settings, it noted.

Mongolia has held Khan Quest every year since 2003, with the help of the U.S. Pacific Command. This year, about 1,200 troops from 21 countries, including the United States, China, and Indonesia, will join the drill, according to the Marine Corps.

"We will master combat techniques to carry out our duties in any part of the world via this joint drill with the multinational forces," said Ham Young-du, a lieutenant colonel who leads the team.

South Korea sent working-level officers as observers to the exercises in Mongolia from 2006 to 2008 and became a full participant in 2009. (Yonhap)