The top military commanders of South Korea and the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) visited eastern front-line border units Wednesday, reaffirming joint readiness and deterrence amid a surge in North Korean border activities in recent weeks. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the USFK, visited eastern border posts to inspect operations and readiness along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the JCS said in a release. "The commanders reaffirmed the solid South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and agreed on the need to continue to strengthen capabilities, readiness and interoperability to effectively respond to the evolving security environment and maintain robust deterrence," the JCS said. Inspecting an eastern guard post, the commanders evaluated recent North Korean military operations near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) inside the DMZ buffer zone and checked readiness of the border units. The inspection follows a sharp rise in border incursions by North Korean troops along the eastern front, with South Korea'