ROK-U.S. News

Pompeo says U.S. is watching N. Korea closely amid threat of ‘Christmas gift’

December 30, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) — The United States is watching North Korea closely and hoping the regime will choose a path of peace as it approaches its year-end deadline for denuclearization talks between the two countries, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.

Pompeo made the remark in an interview with Fox News amid concerns North Korea may stage an intercontinental ballistic missile test or other provocation as a threatened “Christmas gift” for the U.S.

“We’re watching it closely. We’re monitoring,” he said, noting that key meetings of the North Korean ruling party are currently under way in Pyongyang.

“We’re watching very closely … we maintain our view that we can find a path forward to convince the leadership in North Korea that their best course of action is to create a better opportunity for their people by getting rid of their nuclear weapons,” he continued.

“We’re watching what they’re doing here in the closing days of this year, and we hope that they’ll make a decision that will lead to a path of peace and not one towards confrontation,” the top U.S. diplomat added.

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)

Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191231000200325?section=nk/nk

Kim Jong Un calls for measures to protect North Korea

December 30, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

In this Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, photo provided Monday, Dec. 30, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a Workers’ Party meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

The Associated Press | By Kim Tong-Hyung

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for his military and diplomats to prepare unspecified “offensive measures” to protect the country’s security and sovereignty, the North’s state media said on Monday, before his end-of-year deadline for the Trump administration to make major concessions to salvage a fragile nuclear diplomacy.

Kim during a ruling Workers’ Party meeting Sunday also “comprehensively and anatomically analyzed” problems arising in efforts to rebuild the North’s moribund economy and presented tasks for “urgently correcting the grave situation of the major industrial sectors,” the Korean Central News Agency said.

The plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee, which began on Saturday, is being closely watched amid concerns that Kim could suspend his deadlocked nuclear negotiations with the United States and take a more confrontational approach by lifting a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests.

The North has said the meeting, which will continue for at least another day, is intended for discussions on overcoming “manifold and harsh trials and difficulties.”

Kim, who has said the North would pursue a “new path” if Washington persists with sanctions and pressure, is expected to announce major policy changes during his New Year’s address on Wednesday.

The KCNA report did not describe any decisions made at the meeting or mention any specific remarks by Kim about the United States.

The North’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published photos of Kim, wearing a white dress shirt and horn-rimmed glasses, speaking from a podium as hundreds of government and military officials jotted down his comments.

“Emphasizing the need to take positive and offensive measures for fully ensuring the sovereignty and security of the country as required by the present situation, (Kim) indicated the duties of the fields of foreign affairs, munitions industry and armed forces of the DPRK,” the agency said in its English report, referring to North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

KCNA’s Korean-language report said Kim called for “active and offensive” measures.

Kim also “comprehensively and anatomically analyzed the problems arising in the overall state building including the state management and economic construction in the present time,” the agency said.

“He stressed the need to reasonably straighten the country’s economic work system and order and establish a strong discipline and presented the tasks for urgently correcting the grave situation of the major industrial sectors of the national economy,” the report said.

It added that Kim stressed the need for a “decisive” increase in agricultural production and gave out instructions for improving science, education and public health standards.

Lee Sang-min, a spokesman of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said Seoul is closely watching the North Korean party meeting, but he didn’t speculate on what Kim’s call for active and offensive security measures would have meant.

Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior analyst at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, said it was the first time under Kim’s rule that a plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee continued for more than a day.

Kim has an urgent need to make major policy changes in the face of persistent U.S.-led sanctions and pressure, especially with a global crackdown on North Korean labor exports further straining his broken economy, Cheong said.

It’s also likely that Kim during the party meeting reaffirmed a commitment to strengthen his nuclear and missile program, considering the commander of the North Korean army’s strategic force was seen during Saturday’s meeting, Cheong said.

Kim has met President Donald Trump three times in two years of high-stakes summitry, but the diplomacy has progressed little beyond their vague aspirational goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. At their last meeting in June, they agreed to resume talks. A working-level meeting in Sweden in October broke down with the North Koreans blaming their American counterparts for maintaining an “old stance and attitude.”

The North said earlier this month it conducted two “crucial” tests at its long-range rocket launch facility, raising speculation it has been developing a new long-range missile or preparing a satellite launch.

This article was written by KIM TONG-HYUNG from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

Article: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/30/kim-jong-un-calls-measures-protect-north-koreas-security.html

U.S. flies spy planes again over Korean Peninsula amid concerns over N.K. provocations

December 26, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

This photo, captured from the website of the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 6, 2019, shows America’s RC-135S Cobra Ball surveillance aircraft. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

YONHAP NEWS

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) — The United States has flown spy planes around the Korean Peninsula again, an aviation tracker said Thursday, at a time of speculation that North Korea could carry out a major provocation amid stalled denuclearization talks.

According to Aircraft Spots, a RC-135S Cobra Ball plane was presumed to have carried out a surveillance mission over South Korea’s East Sea after taking off from the Japanese territory of Okinawa. Another RC-135S aircraft was spotted flying in the same route later.

An E-8C plane or JSTARS was also seen flying over the peninsula at some 31,000 feet, the aviation tracker said.

The flights came after the U.S. flew four spy planes at the same time over the peninsula earlier this week in an unusual move to intensify its surveillance on North Korea amid concerns that the North could test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea has threatened to take a “new way” if Washington fails to come up with a new proposal in denuclearization talks before the end of this year, hinting that it otherwise will end diplomacy and revert to provocative behavior.

With the deadline drawing closer, the North earlier said it is entirely up to Washington what “Christmas gift” it wants to get, spawning speculation that it might be preparing a major provocation during the holiday season this week.

North Korea did not carry out a threatened “Christmas” provocation but observers say that things are not over yet, as Pyongyang could announce a major policy shift with regard to its denuclearization talks with the U.S. in a party meeting set for later this month or the New Year address its leader Kim Jong-un is to deliver.

The Seoul government said that it is closely monitoring any developments in North Korea in cooperation with the U.S. and remains ready to address any possible situations.

Earlier in the day, Meari, a North Korean propaganda outlet, denounced the stepped-up surveillance activities by the U.S. and South Korea on the communist state’s military targets, calling them “provocative” moves.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)

Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191226003951325?section=nk/nk

Hundreds of strangers attend funeral of Korean War veteran with no known living relatives

December 20, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

Patriot Guard and VFW members salute as pallbearers carry Korean War veteran George R. Green to a pavilion at the Marion National Cemetery on Thursday. (The Herald Bulletin courtesy photo/Don Knight)

By: Ken de la Bastide, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.

ELWOOD — Hundreds of people from all walks of life gathered to honor the life of George Green, a Korean War veteran who died Dec. 5 with no known living relatives.

Veterans from as far away as Michigan, high school students and ordinary residents joined together Thursday to attend the funeral services for Green, 89, who was awarded the Bronze Star medal four times for his service in the U.S. Army.

The street in front of Copher-Fesler-May Funeral Home was lined with American flags with a member of the Indiana Patriot Guard standing vigil outside.

An overflow crowd gathered at the funeral home and at the conclusion of the service each veteran approached Green’s casket and gave the hand salute.

A long procession of vehicles made the trip from Elwood to the Marion National Cemetery for Green’s burial, where members of the Elwood VFW performed military rites complete with a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

Pastor Rodney Ellis of First Missionary Baptist Church opened the service with a moment of silence for Green and all the men and women currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Ellis said Green had joined his parents in heaven and would be laid to rest with his brothers at the National Cemetery.

“He was a true patriot,” Ellis said. “He laid it all on the line to serve his country.

“You don’t win four Bronze Stars by not relinquishing your personal safety,” he said. “Through his reasonable service we don’t know how many lives he saved or warmed.”

Dawson said Green won a state championship while in high school for his singing and performed at many weddings.

“He was a quiet person,” he said.

Dawson noted that after Green was wounded in Korea, he returned to his unit.

“Winning four Bronze Stars is quite a feat,” he said. “Today he is not alone and never has been.”

Dorcas Floyd graduated with Green from Elwood High School in the Class of 1949.

“George rode his bike around town a lot,” she said. “We didn’t keep in touch but just knew George.

“He was a fabulous singer,” Floyd said. “He sang baritone in school. He was always a private person, even in school.”

She sometimes wondered what Green was doing over the years, knowing he had the venetian blind repair business.

“This is what I knew it would be,” Floyd said of the community’s paying honor to Green. “This is the way Elwood is, we always come through. This is so wonderful for him.”

Staff Sgt. Jason Truman, retired from the U.S. Army, drove from St. Joseph, Michigan, to attend the graveside service.

“I’m friends on Facebook who is a member of the Patriot Guard. When I saw him share this it was a no-brainer,” he said. “I just couldn’t image. I know what it’s like to have a life of service and come home and live in solitude. That was best for him.

“Four Bronze Stars, I would have driven to Florida,” Truman said. “You don’t put heroes in the ground every day. A hero like that someone should remember him.”

From left, Pvt. Joshawah Gaar and Sgt. Megan Mason fold the flag for Korean War veteran George R. Green at the Marion National Cemetery on Thursday. Green, 89, died Dec. 5 at his home in Elwood (The Herald Bulletin courtesy photo/Don Knight)

Myla Nelson, an Elwood resident, was there with her 5-month-old son at the funeral home and cemetery.

“I just wanted to thank him for all his service and all the veterans,” she said. “I like to say thanks to those that have given their service. It’s very beautiful to see everybody coming together like this.”

Leon Richardson of Greenfield, member of Combat Veteran Motorcycle Association and a 20-year Army veteran, said they try to attend funerals for all veterans.

“He had family. We’re all here today,” he said. “It’s good that people try to do something for others, hard to find these days.”

Marcy Fry said she knew of Green most of her life.

“He was very quiet, but back in the day in the 1970s and 1980s he was a very good business person,” she said. “He would do things for anybody.

“This is such a blessing to see how we all came together,” Fry said. “We want to show our support. He was proud to serve but was a very humble man.”

Article: https://taskandpurpose.com/strangers-korean-war-veteran-funeral

Majority of S. Koreans support alliance with U.S., negative on defense cost-sharing demands: poll

December 18, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

This photo, provided by the South Korean Embassy in Washington, shows negotiators from South Korea and the United States holding a fourth round of talks on renewing the countries’ Special Measures Agreement on sharing their defense costs in the U.S. capital on Dec. 4, 2019. (Yonhap)

Yonhap News | By Lee Haye-ah

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) — A new survey of South Koreans shows that the majority of the population supports the country’s alliance with the United States, but rejects U.S. demands for a sharp increase in its contribution to shared defense costs, the pollster said Monday.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs conducted the survey from Dec. 9 to 11, the first time an American think tank has polled South Koreans on the contentious issue of how to share the costs of keeping 28,500 American troops stationed in that country.

According to the poll, 92 percent of those surveyed said they support the bilateral alliance. Two-thirds (63 percent) said the alliance benefited both countries, with 26 percent saying it primarily benefited the U.S. and 8 percent viewing South Korea as the primary beneficiary.

A majority (74 percent) said they support the long-term U.S. troop presence in South Korea, with 87 percent saying the troops contribute to South Korea’s national security either a great deal (47 percent) or a fair amount (40 percent).

However, many South Koreans held a negative view of Washington’s reported demand for a fivefold increase in Seoul’s contribution to shared defense costs next year.

The majority (68 percent) said South Korea should negotiate for less than the $4.7 billion allegedly sought by Washington. Of them, 60 percent favored paying less than 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion), while 30 percent favored paying between 2 and 3 trillion won.

About a quarter (26 percent) said South Korea should refuse to pay.

In the event that the two sides fail to reach an agreement, about half (54 percent) said the alliance should be maintained, but with a reduction in U.S. troops.

Another 33 percent said the alliance should be maintained and U.S. forces should remain at the current level. Nine percent called for keeping the alliance but withdrawing all U.S. troops. Two percent said the alliance should be terminated.

The results of the survey come a day before South Korean and U.S. officials are due to meet in Seoul for a fifth round of talks on renewing the cost-sharing agreement. The current deal expires at the end of the year.

The survey, which was funded by a grant from the Korea Foundation, was conducted in South Korea by mobile and landline phones among a representative national sample of 1,000 adults age 19 and over.

The margin of error was 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)

Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191217000200325

Top U.S. negotiator says U.S. ‘not focused on’ initial $5 billion demand anymore

December 18, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

James DeHart, the top U.S. negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea, speaks during an interview with the press corps in Seoul on Dec. 18, 2019. (Pool Photo) (Yonhap)

Yonhap News | By Song Sang-ho

SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) — The top U.S. negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea said Wednesday that his team is “not focused on” its initial demand for a five-fold increase to US$5 billion in Seoul’s financial contributions to the upkeep of American troops here.

In an interview with the Korean press corps, James DeHart also pointed out that South Korea’s weapons purchases from the United States are an “important consideration for us in the burden-sharing context.”

DeHart and his South Korean counterpart Jeong Eun-bo held the latest round of two-day negotiations in Seoul but failed to narrow the gaps over how much Seoul should pay next year and beyond for the stationing of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

“The figure will be different from our initial proposal and probably different from what we’ve heard from the Korean side so far. So we will find that point of agreement,” the U.S. official told reporters. “($5 billion) is not a number that we are currently focused on in the negotiations.”

The initial demand has been a lightning rod for searing criticism here, prompting rallies against Seoul’s contributions to the U.S. troops and raising concerns that tensions from the negotiations over the cost-sharing deal, the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), could undercut alliance cooperation on other matters.

Asked whether Washington is asking Seoul to shoulder the costs for military operations that take place off the peninsula but still help defend South Korea, DeHart said that it is “reasonable” to share some of the costs.

“I think it’s a very appropriate discussion to have with the ROK whether they are willing to share in the large cost of transporting American service personnel on and off the peninsula and to be equipped to operate on the peninsula and to be trained to operate on the peninsula,” he said, using the abbreviation of South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

“Because it is all about the defense of Korea,” he added.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)

Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191218010700325?section=national/diplomacy

No more curfew for US troops in South Korea

December 17, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 121 Infantry Regiment, Gimlet Battalion, get briefed for the Force on Force exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, Yeongpyeong-ri, Korea, April 6, 2018.(Spc. Elizabeth Brown/Army)

Military Times | By: Shawn Snow

U.S. Forces Korea announced it was ending curfew for the nearly 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea effective Dec. 17.

The dreaded curfew, which forced U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula to remain on base, in their residences or hotel rooms from 1-5 a.m., was suspended on a trial run in June for 90 days. The curfew suspension was extended again in September for another 90 days.

“After assessing the curfew data and consulting with USFK leaders including component commanders, I decided to end the curfew effective December 17,” Gen. Robert B. Abrams, United States Forces Korea commander, said in a news release.

“The 180 day curfew suspension enabled leaders at all levels of the chain of command to recommend keeping the curfew, continuing the suspension, or ending the curfew. All recommended its termination,” Abrams said in the release.

The command previously instituted a curfew suspension assessment that began June 17 and was supposed to end Tuesday.

U.S. Forces Korea said the curfew suspension trial run that ran from June to December was focused on “behavior, morale, readiness factors and the capability for USFK Service Members to maintain good order and discipline, at all times and under all conditions.”

In July, a U.S. soldier in South Korea allegedly attempted to steal a taxi and hit a Korean National Police officer. The soldier was allegedly out drinking with friends the night of the incident.

“Leaders are responsible for our Service Members on and off-post conduct; we are ambassadors of USFK, the United States and the US-RoK [Republic of Korea] Alliance to the Korean people,”Abrams said in the release.

“We have a solemn responsibility to keep readiness at its highest levels with a “Fight Tonight” posture, approach and mentality. Our capability and capacity to remain ready at all times is non-negotiable,” Abrams said in the release.

Article: https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2019/12/17/no-more-curfew-for-us-troops-in-south-korea/

Maximum Pressure 2.0: How to turn the tables on North Korea

December 13, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

By: David Maxwell

North Korea has been warning for months that the United States only has until the end of the year to change its hostile attitude. If Washington does not make amends for its “betrayal,” Pyongyang may restart its nuclear tests and long-range missile launches. These accusations may ring hollow, yet North Korea is clearly comfortable making threats and setting deadlines.

President Trump made history by engaging Kim Jong Un in multiple rounds of unconventional and experimental top-down diplomacy, but North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as its conventional and asymmetric forces remain as dangerous as ever. It is time for a new strategy – call it Maximum Pressure 2.0 – that puts Kim in a position where he must disarm or pay a heavy price.

North Korea is eager for relief from U.S. sanctions. The regime elite, military, and population have been expecting relief since the first Trump-Kim meeting at the Singapore Summit. At their Hanoi summit in February, Kim pressed hard for sanctions relief, only to discover that Trump was ready to walk away from the table. When Kim approved working-level discussions in Stockholm in October, his negotiators demanded the same thing, but to no avail.

Between the Hanoi summit and Stockholm discussions, North Korea conducted 12 short-range ballistic missile and rocket tests, including the launch of a submarine launched ballistic missile just three days before Stockholm. Kim continued demands for security guarantees and sanctions relief. Clearly, Kim believes that he is the one positioned to secure concessions by exerting more pressure. The response to Trump’s recent tweet seemingly calling for a summit, was Kim Gye Kwan and Kim Yong Chol making pronouncements that there will be no more “fruitless” summits until the U.S. makes a “bold decision” and provides concessions.

There are two assumptions that should guide the rethinking of U.S. policy toward North Korea. First, Kim Jong Un will only denuclearize if he determines that holding onto his nuclear weapons is more dangerous than of giving them up. The second is that Kim will continue to pursue the traditional North Korean strategy of employing subversion, extortion, and force to unify the Korean Peninsula under the rule of his “Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.” In short, Kim will not change, but his fear and internally generated threats can be used against him.

In a new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), my colleagues and I lay out in detail how to accomplish this goal. It depends on maximizing the pressure on Kim Jong Un along five distinct but complementary lines of effort: diplomacy, military deterrence, sanctions enforcement, cyber operations, and information and influence activities. All these lines of effort will require close coordination between Washington and Seoul.

The diplomatic line of effort should promote the imperative of enforcing domestic and international law to stop the Kim regime’s illicit activities. Military efforts should enhance the readiness of the ROK/U.S. alliance, since Kim only respects strength. This will require greater combined training and other military activities.

The U.S. and its partners should expand sanctions to target the non-North Korean entities, banks, and individuals who facilitate Pyongyang’s sanctions evasion activities. A much more aggressive cyber campaign is also necessary because of the damage caused by the North’s “all purpose sword” of cyber activities as well the funds they generate through theft. Finally, a robust information and influence activities (IIA) campaign should work to drive a wedge between the Kim family’s inner circle and the country’s second-tier leadership and broader population. This last line of effort is essential, because only an internal threat can persuade Kim that keeping his nuclear weapons is riskier than giving them up. The IIA and diplomatic approaches must include a human rights component since Kim Jong Un denies human rights in order to remain in power.

Our new report proposes specific measures to ensure the effectiveness of each of the five critical lines of operation. It is effectively a blueprint for the White House and Blue House (Korean president’s residence) to employ once they recognize the current approach is incapable of delivering the long-promised breakthrough. That breakthrough never materialized, because a close personal rapport between the U.S., ROK, and North Korean leaders – while valuable on its own – could not change Pyongyang’s strategic calculus.

The Trump administration’s original maximum pressure policy, which persisted throughout 2017 and into early 2018, helped persuade Kim that negotiating was a better option than continued threats of “fire and fury.” Yet the pressure campaign lost momentum amid the fanfare of the Singapore and Hanoi summits and backsliding by China and Russia. This may be exactly what Kim hoped for.

A Maximum Pressure 2.0 strategy rests on the foundation of sustained pressure and military strength to support diplomacy. Pressure and deterrence are essential to the success of working level negotiations. Ultimately, however, the choice about North Korea’s future belongs to Kim. He can make the strategic decision to denuclearize (which also entails putting an end to his chemical, biological, and missile programs). If Kim makes the wrong choice, then Maximum Pressure 2.0 will weaken the north, and bring Korea one step closer to unification and a United Republic of Korea (UROK).

David Maxwell, a 30-year veteran of the United States Army and a retired Special Forces colonel, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he also contributes to FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). Follow David on Twitter @davidmaxwell161. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Editor’s note: This is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please contact Military Times managing editor Howard Altman, haltman@militarytimes.com.

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Military Times Article: https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/2019/12/09/maximum-pressure-20-how-to-turn-the-tables-on-north-korea/

South Korea releases pre-emptive strike video amid rising tensions

December 12, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

UPI | By Elizabeth Shim

Dec. 12 (UPI) — South Korea’s air force released a video of a simulated pre-emptive strike against North Korean weapons systems on Thursday, amid concerns Pyongyang could be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The video from Seoul’s military shows fictitious footage of the Global Hawk, a remotely piloted surveillance aircraft, detecting activity in North Korea, where the regime is seen setting up an ICBM on a mobile launch pad, South Korean television network JTBC reported Thursday.

The video then shows F-35A jet fighters being deployed. Their precision strike capabilities are depicted as being used against North Korea’s Hwasong-14, a North Korean ICBM first tested on July 4, 2017.

A voiceover in the South Korea video says the “glory of victory is promised under any circumstances” in the event of a pre-emptive strike against the enemy.

The simulation is not real, but South Korea retains 13 F-35A fighter jets. Global Hawk will be deployed to Seoul’s air force before the end of December.

Cho Se-young, head of public relations at South Korea’s air force, said simulations have previously been issued. On Thursday the video was released amid fresh tensions following what North Korea claimed was a “very important test” of a rocket engine at Sohae satellite launch pad.

North Korea condemned the United States on Thursday for holding a United Nations Security Council meeting.

Pyongyang’s foreign ministry called the meeting a platform for pressure building against the regime.

“We will never tolerate the United States for fostering the mood of pressure against North Korea by spearheading the U.N. Security Council public meeting that discussed our problem at such a sensitive time as right now,” the North Korean statement read, according to Yonhap.

“The United States took a stupid act like hitting at its own foot with an ax by holding the meeting,” the official added. “It has also given us decisive help in making up our mind clearly on which way we will take.”

On Wednesday at the U.N., U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft had warned ballistic missiles would not bring greater security for North Korea.

Article: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/12/12/South-Korea-releases-pre-emptive-strike-video-amid-rising-tensions/6281576154475/

Photo credit: South Korea is to deploy surveillance aircraft Global Hawk by the end of December. File Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman/UPI

USFK Returns Land to South Korea

December 11, 2019 ROK-U.S. News

PA-001-19 | Dec. 11, 2019

United States Forces Korea and the Republic of Korea announced the return of four U.S. military sites and plans to initiate more returns from U.S. to ROK government control today.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, USFK Deputy Commander, and Director General Ko Yunju, North American Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs presided over the 200th Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee meeting at Camp Humphreys.

During this meeting, the finalized and permanent returns of Camps Eagle and Long (Wonju), parcels of Camp Market (Bupyeong), and the Shea Range parcel located at Camp Hovey (Dongducheon) completes the return of these four sites back to Korean control effective today. This marks the biggest land return of former U.S. sites to the ROK since 2015, and USFK has 13 additional completely vacated and closed sites ready for return now.

The SOFA Joint Committee also initiated the return process for Yongsan Garrison which reaffirms the U.S. commitment to the Korean people and the Korean government in the execution of the Yongsan Relocation Program.

As a testament to our ROK-US alliance, USFK remains committed to returning installations as expeditiously as possible to ROK government control in accordance with the 2002 Land Partnership Program, 2004 Yongsan Relocation Program and the provisions of the Status of Forces Agreement.

United States Forces Korea

Press Release: https://www.usfk.mil/Media/Press-Releases/Article/2037248/usfk-returns-land-to-south-korea/