JCS chief, USFK commander inspect readiness posture at truce village

South Korea’s top military officer and the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) visited the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom on Friday and checked the readiness posture against potential threats, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson paid the visit to the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the JCS said.

Brunson also serves as the commander of the U.N. Command and the Combined Forces Command.

During the visit, they reviewed key operational facilities within the JSA, including areas near the Military Demarcation Line inside the DMZ, and assessed the readiness.

Kim called for strengthening the combined operational capabilities to ensure “immediate and powerful” responses in case of provocations by North Korea, highlighting the allies’ “unwavering” combined defense posture, the JCS said.

Brunson, in turn, said the United States is fully committed to deterring any hostile actions and defending South Korea, according to the JCS.

Friday’s visit marked the first on-site inspection by the top South Korean and U.S. military officers since Brunson took office in December last year.