Korea, US give conflicting accounts of West Sea drill communication

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson speaks during the Honolulu Defense Forum, hosted by Pacific Forum in the namesake U.S. city from Jan. 12 to 13 (local time). Courtesy of USFK

Korea and the United States are offering conflicting accounts over communication between the two sides about a recent U.S. air exercise in the West Sea in which U.S. and Chinese jets experienced a brief standoff.

The differing explanations center on whether Seoul was given advance notice about the drill and whether the top U.S. commander apologized over the issue.

The dispute stems from a large-scale U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) drill conducted Feb. 18 and 19 from Osan Air Base, during which U.S. fighter jets carried out more than 100 sorties over waters west of the Korean Peninsula. Chinese warplanes also scrambled in response, leading to a short aerial standoff between the two sides.

The defense ministry confirmed that Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jin Young-seung, spoke with USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson to protest that details of the exercise had not been sufficiently shared in advance with Korean authorities and that such operations could heighten tensions in nearby waters.

USFK pushed back on the implication there was no prior coordination about the drill plan.

"Gen. Xavier Brunson spoke directly with the Minister of National Defense to reiterate that notification had been provided to the Republic of Korea side and expressed regret that MINDEF (defense minister) and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were not briefed in time,” it said in a statement released late Tuesday.

The statement did not specify which Korean entity had received that notification. The lack of detail has drawn attention because air operations are typically coordinated with South Korea’s Air Force when they involve nearby or combined activities. The Air Force declined to comment when asked whether it had received advance notice.

Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna told reporters, "As for whether advance notice was provided, we do not comment on each individual claim.”

Nevertheless, officials acknowledged that Ahn had made a protest call to Brunson and USFK halted the exercise earlier than scheduled after the phone calls — details that have fueled questions about whether prior coordination had been sufficient.

Another point of contention is whether Brunson issued an apology. While local media reports said such a message was conveyed, USFK has effectively rejected this. “U.S. Forces Korea conducts regular training to maintain the highest level of readiness and ensure it can fulfill its mission. We don’t make apologies for maintaining readiness," it said in its statement.

The ministry spokesperson said, "It is true that the phone call took place, but it would be inappropriate to disclose details of the conversation or any content not agreed upon by the other party."

Communications between Korean and U.S. officials are typically not disclosed without mutual consent. Military sources said it was unusual for the defense ministry to confirm such a call involving a sensitive issue related to a USFK drill and for USFK to issue a statement denying media reports.