South Korea says it will hold large land and air drills Thursday

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea will hold its largest land and air winter drills Thursday in an area adjacent to North Korea, the South Korean army said Wednesday.

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 South Korean island by North Korea, army officials said.

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

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

South Korea also held live-fire military exercises earlier this week, a move that North Korea said could ignite a war.
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Both Koreas have traded tough talk and conducted military drills in the weeks after the North shelling of the South Korean island.

The attack killed two marines and two civilians.

North Korea said through its state news agency KCNA that it will not respond to South Korea's naval drills around the island of Yeonpyeong held two days ago, but the military and the Seoul government have not ruled out the possibility of unforeseen provocations occurring in border areas and possibly on large civilian gatherings.

Despite the recent tensions, South Korean government never considered canceling the drills, according to South Korea's Office of the President.

South Korea frequently has drills, which are a part of South Korean life, the president's office said.

Canceling them could be seen as bending to North Korea's will, the office said.