Meets with Commander Xavier Brunson

Stresses importance of 'will to fight together'

South Korea's Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-chul reviews troops alongside Commander Xavier Brunson during an honor guard ceremony at Camp Humphreys on Friday morning. [Ministry of National Defense]
South Korea's Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-chul reviews troops alongside Commander Xavier Brunson during an honor guard ceremony at Camp Humphreys on Friday morning. [Ministry of National Defense]

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited Camp Humphreys — often called the heart of the South Korea-US alliance — for the first time since taking office on Friday, reaffirming the strength of the combined defense posture and close bilateral coordination.

According to the Defense Ministry, Kang attended a welcoming honor guard ceremony and encouraged South Korean and US service members serving at the base.

Drawing on the history of war, Kang stressed the importance of the "will to fight together" and called for establishing a readiness posture with no gaps amid the grave security environment on the Korean Peninsula.

He then met with Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the Combined Forces Command, USFK and the UN Command, to discuss key pending issues.

At the meeting, Kang expressed appreciation for the dedication of key personnel working to preserve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and urged them to maintain close South Korea-US cooperation going forward.

Kang is also believed to have held preliminary discussions on a target year for the transfer of wartime operational control and exchanged views on landmine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone, ahead of the 58th Security Consultative Meeting.


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