▲ General Xavier Brunson, Commander of US Forces Korea, departs after visiting the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 18th.
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to scale back joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, General Xavier Brunson, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, visited the Ministry of National Defense building today to hold discussions with the South Korean side.
General Brunson was spotted by reporters visiting the Ministry of National Defense building this afternoon (the 18th).
After staying for about 20 minutes, he left the building, briefly mentioning only that "there was a meeting," while declining to give specific answers to questions regarding who he met or what was discussed.
It was reported that General Brunson met with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back at the ministry building.
It is anticipated that the two sides discussed follow-up measures stemming from President Trump's directive to reduce joint military exercises.
President Trump stated on social media Truth Social on the 16th, local time, "Given the very good relationship I have with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, I do not like the fact that the U.S. has long agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea," adding that he instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to drastically reduce the scale of the joint drills.
The following day, the U.S. Department of Defense expressed its commitment to carrying out the directive, stating that it is "actively working to implement the Commander-in-Chief's orders."
Consequently, projections have emerged that South Korean and U.S. military authorities could enter into concrete discussions to scale down the joint exercises.
In particular, forecasts have surfaced that the regular joint exercise "Ulchi Freedom Shield" (UFS), which began on the 17th for the defense of the Korean Peninsula in the event of an emergency, could also become a target for reduction.
In fact, it is known that some joint field training exercises scheduled as part of UFS have shown signs of being canceled following President Trump's directive for a "drastic reduction."
The scheduled joint FTXs during this UFS exercise period consist of 14 cases consolidated at the battalion level or higher.
If some of these are conducted separately by South Korea and the U.S., or solely by the South Korean military, the joint FTXs themselves will decrease.
In fact, it is reported that the U.S. side has already been discussing some of these measures.
As President Trump's clear directive has been handed down, there is also a possibility that the U.S. Department of War may deliver specific proposals or requests regarding the issue of reducing joint exercises to the South Korean side.
It was also reported that following President Trump's directive, an unusual situation occurred in which the command post of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command was relocated from "CP Tango" in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, and then moved back to CP Tango.
The temporary relocation of the main command post from CP Tango, the wartime command and control center of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, to Camp Humphreys, the peacetime command post, leaves room for interpretation as an adjustment to the intensity of the exercise.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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