USFK chief to get medal

By Jun Ji-hye

Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Gen. Vincent K. Brooks will be awarded a state medal from South Korea for his dedicated service amid mounting North Korean threats on the Korean Peninsula.

“Gen. Brooks will be conferred with the Tongil Medal of the Order of National Security Merit during an Armed Forces Day event Sept. 28,” the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

The event will be held at the headquarters of the Navy’s Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

It will be the first time for a USFK commander to receive a state medal at the government’s official event to commemorate the service of the country’s troops.

Armed Forces Day falls Oct. 1, but the government decided to advance the date of the event to before the 10-day Chuseok holidays that begin, Sept. 30.

It will also mark the first time for the government to hold the annual ceremony at a naval base. Previously, such events have been held at the Gyeryongdae tri-service headquarters in South Chungcheong Province.

In the ceremony to be attended by more than 3,500 people, the military plans to display its strategic weapons such as Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missiles to show its national defense and deterrence capability, the ministry added.