The South Korean military will conduct an annual military exercise around the Dokdo islets in the East Sea on Tuesday. 

The drill, named the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise, will reportedly involve the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard.

The Marine Corps will not join this year's exercise, as no landing drill will take place. 

According to a government source, while a training exercise in the second half of last year was scaled down due to weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's exercise will be conducted on a scale similar to past years.

South Korea launched the Dokdo drills in 1986. Since 2003, it has conducted the training twice a year, usually in June and December. 

Japan, which claims ownership over the islets, has repeatedly protested the drills.