The world’s largest international biennial maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific, began its five-week run at the Pearl Harbor meeting point Thursday, as naval forces from 27 countries gathered for what the officials said was the biggest joint drill to date.

This year’s RIMPAC also features China which, despite territorial disputes in the South China Sea, has deployed five warships and some 1,200 troops to mark the third-largest contingent after the U.S. and Canada.

It marks Bejing’s second participation following last year’s in the U.S.-led exercise since its inception in 1971.

South Korea, which has been concerned by recent ballistic missile and nuclear programs by its neighbor North Korea, will take part in the 25th RIMPAC along with China, Japan, Australia and Singapore as well as newcomers Denmark, Germany and Italy.

Seoul’s captain-led naval forces consist of two destroyers, a submarine, a P-3 surveillance plane and two Lynx helicopters, manned by 700-strong sailors from the Navy and the Marine Corps.

South Korean maritime forces will be entrusted with the role of the sea combat commander for the six-nation, eight-ship expeditionary strike group consisting also of U.S., Japan, Canada, according to the military officials here.

The Navy aims to hone its strike capacity by firing SN-2 anti-aircraft missiles from the 7,600-ton Aegis-equipped destroyer Sejong the Great and the 4,500-ton destroyer Kang Gam Chan, as well as conducting anti-submarine drills with its 1,200-ton submarine Lee Eokgi.

South Korean Navy contingent will take part in other drills including amphibious operations and anti-ship tactics until the exercise concludes on Aug. 4.

After the drills, the forces of South Korea, the U.S., Japan and Australia will jointly conduct separate drills that will include a search and rescue exercise.

Prior to the RIMPAC, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo carried out a joint missile warning exercise Wednesday, in light of growing missile threats from North Korea.

Pyongyang last week pushed ahead with the latest launch of its intermediate-range ballistic missile, widely perceived as having achieved success on some level.

 By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)