U.S. Ambassador Steel: “China Is the Greatest Threat”; General Brunson: “ROK-U.S. Drills Should Be Held Year-Round”

[Financial News] U.S. Ambassador to Korea Michelle Steel and General Xavier T. Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the South Korea-U.S. alliance should be strengthened to counter threats from China, Russia and North Korea. Steel described China as the region’s greatest threat and emphasized cooperation between South Korea and the United States, while Brunson called for more joint exercises to counter external threats, including military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
Steel and General Brunson made the remarks at a special luncheon meeting hosted by AMCHAM Korea on the 21st at the Mondrian Seoul Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
In a special address that day, Ambassador Steel said, “Security and prosperity are inseparable,” and noted that cooperation between South Korea and the United States had supported stability on the Korean Peninsula and economic growth. She also described China as “the greatest threat in the Indo-Pacific region” and underscored the need for close cooperation between the two countries. She noted that China is expanding its influence over maritime trade routes in the region and taking a coercive stance toward neighboring countries.
On North Korea, she reaffirmed her longstanding position, saying, “The important thing is to deter war,” and that the door remained open to unconditional dialogue. She also said it was difficult to predict when talks between the United States and North Korea might resume, but noted the need for South Korea to take part.
She, however, stressed that “North Korea has recently been improving the accuracy of its missiles through launches and has sent troops to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war,” adding, “The United States and South Korea need to work together to understand exactly what is happening and discuss how we can stop it.”
Referring to the recent trilateral military exercises involving South Korea, the United States and Japan, Ambassador Steel said, “We should strengthen cooperation with Japan as well as bilateral cooperation between South Korea and the United States.”
General Brunson showed a strong resolve that day to hold South Korea-U.S. joint exercises throughout the year. He said, “This week, I met with Jin Young-seung, chairman of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS), and discussed how we will train during the upcoming Freedom Shield (FS) exercise.” He added, “What we realized in that process is that our readiness should not depend solely on the two major exercises held each year.” He emphasized, “We need to train year-round,” and, “We need to keep improving to achieve the objectives we have set.”
With General Brunson emphasizing the importance of South Korea-U.S. joint exercises, next year’s FS exercise in the first half of the year is expected to proceed as normal, without the large-scale cutbacks seen this year.
General Brunson called for stepped-up training, saying, “Our security environment is not static,” and, “North Korea is advancing its ballistic and cruise missile capabilities, while North Korea and Russia are deepening their defense cooperation to a dangerous degree.”
General Brunson said, “The training patterns of U.S. Forces Korea on the Korean Peninsula will also change,” adding, “The security environment is changing, and new challenges are emerging.” He did not comment that day on changes to the criteria for transferring wartime operational control, which had recently stirred controversy following his remarks, or on issues such as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).


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