Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung speaks during a visit to the Combined Marine Component Command and the Northwest Islands Defense Command in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff
Korea's top general visited key Marine Corps and Navy units Tuesday to oversee their participation in an ongoing major exercise with U.S. troops, his office said.
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung visited the Combined Marine Component Command and the Northwest Islands Defense Command and urged troops to verify wartime plans during the Freedom Shield exercise as Korea seeks to take back wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, according to the JCS.
Jin also visited the Navy's 2nd Fleet headquartered in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where he said the joint exercise serves as an opportunity for the allies to prove their capabilities, the JCS said.
The allies' annual springtime exercise began its 11-day run on Monday, with this year's edition focusing on assessing conditions to transfer wartime OPCON from Washington to Seoul.
Korea has been seeking a "conditions-based" transfer of wartime OPCON from the U.S. within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term that ends in 2030.
Source: Korea Times News
