South Korea will join Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in a joint Antarctic inspection team starting next week.

The oceans and foreign ministries in Seoul said Friday that the four-nation team will embark on a 16-day inspection from Sunday to March fourth.

Under the Antarctic Treaty, inspections are conducted to observe the station facilities, vessels and aircraft of other countries to confirm that they are complying with the terms of the treaty.

The ten-member team will visit four facilities near Livingston and Anvers Islands, then report their findings within this year to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. 

Officials in Seoul said with countries like the U.S., Britain and Australia having led the joint inspections until now, South Korea's upcoming participation is an outcome of continued calls for a new inspection model.

The last time South Korea participated in such efforts was in 1993.