Seoul, May 23 (IANS): South Korea will resume an annual field training program for its reserve forces in a scaled-back manner next month after a two-years Covid-triggered hiatus, the state military recruitment agency said on Monday.

Starting from June 20, some 500,000 reservists will be called upon to complete the programme, consisting of field drills and an online session lasting eight hours each, according to the Military Manpower Administration.

In the pre-pandemic era, most reservists were required to engage in three days of on-site training at nearby military bases, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The administration said reservists in Uljin, Samcheok, Gangneung and Donghae, designated as special disaster zones reeling from the aftermath of wildfires in March, are exempt from the training.

It added it will prepare strict anti-virus measures, considering the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to end.

The reservists' mobilization training did not take place in 2020 and last year.

It marked the first such cancellation since the country introduced the training program in 1968.

All able-bodied South Korean men must serve in the military for around two years.

They must also serve as reservists for about eight years from their discharge.