SEOUL, Feb. 10-- South Korea's Defense Ministry said Monday that it will conduct annual joint military drills with the United States from Feb. 24 to April 18 despite the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s protest against it.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Kim Min-seok told a routine press briefing that South Korea-U.S. combined forces command will carry out the computer-simulated "Key Resolve" command post exercise from Feb. 24 to March 6.

Kim said that it is an annually-held command post exercise between the two allies of defensive nature to verify defense capabilities of the South Korea-U.S. combined forces, adding that around 5,200 U.S. troops will participate in this year's exercise. It was larger than 3,500 U.S. military servicemen's participation last year.

The "Foal Eagle" field training exercise will be staged from Feb. 24 to April 18, Kim said, noting that about 7,500 U.S. forces will join the annual exercise of field maneuvers, lower than some 10,000 troops last year.

Kim said that the DPRK was notified of the schedules Sunday morning through the United Nations Command, which oversees the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. He added that the ministry will inform neighboring countries of the schedules within Monday.