Military chief urges firm readiness ahead of Korea-US combined drills
Adm. Kim Myung-soo, right, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, encourages troops during a visit to the 10th Fighter Wing in this photo provided by his office, Tuesday. Yonhap
Korea's top military officer on Tuesday called for a firm readiness posture against North Korea's possible provocation during a major Korea-U.S. summertime exercise set to take place later this month.
Adm. Kim Myung-soo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), made the call as the allies will hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from Aug. 18-28. North Korea has condemned the planned drills and vowed to take "self-defense" measures in the event of any provocation.
During a visit to the 10th Fighter Wing, Kim urged troops to "maintain a firm operational posture that can immediately respond to any provocation by the enemy using the combined drills as a pretext," according to the JCS.
Kim, who also visited a warfighting simulation center, instructed troops to fulfill their roles to enhance the allies' combined defense posture capabilities in the face of rapid changes in the security environment and in modern warfare.
For this year's exercise, the military has pushed back around half of some 40 planned field training exercises to next month, amid Seoul's efforts to mend frayed ties with Pyongyang.