Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
USFK commander reportedly apologizes over West Sea drill
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks after a breakfast meeting with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Jan. 26. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul confirms call but withholds details
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), apologized to Korean military officials for a recent West Sea air exercise that briefly brought U.S. and Chinese fighter jets into a tense encounter, according to news reports.
The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that parts of the media accounts were accurate but declined to provide further details, citing diplomatic sensitivity. The U.S. military also declined to confirm the reports.
The USFK staged large-scale aerial maneuvers from Osan Air Base on Feb. 18 and 19, during which Chinese aircraft also scrambled, creating a temporary standoff over the West Sea.
Korean officials were said to have protested that the plan had not been sufficiently shared in advance. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back reportedly called Brunson on Feb. 19 to lodge a complaint.
Afterward, Brunson conveyed his apology and the drill, originally scheduled to run through last Saturday, was halted early on Feb. 19, according to the reports.
Defense ministry spokesperson Chung Binna confirmed to reporters that the phone call had taken place, but said that the ministry could not release details of the conversation. She added that disclosing content not agreed upon by the other party would be inappropriate, and said she understood some of the media reports to be true.
When contacted by The Korea Times, USFK said, "Gen. Xavier Brunson spoke directly with the minister to reiterate that notification had been provided to Korean side and expressed regret that the defense minister and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were not briefed in time."
It said it conducts regular training to maintain the highest level of readiness and ensure it can fulfill its mission, adding that it does not apologize for such activities.