Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Makes First Public Visit to THAAD Base... "Driving Force of the ROK-US Alliance"

First Public Visit Despite Previous Private Visits
"You Are the Symbol of Trust in the ROK-US Alliance" Encouraging Troops

On the 20th, General Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a public visit to the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) base of the US Forces Korea in Seongju, Gyeongbuk. While the Chairman has previously visited the THAAD base privately, this is the first public visit.

At the Seongju base, General Kim told the troops, "Carry out your mission with pride in being responsible for the safety of the alliance against any missile threat from the enemy."

He also said, "You are the driving force behind the development of the ROK-US alliance and a symbol of trust," adding, "The people of the Republic of Korea and the Chairman trust and believe in you."

On the 20th, General Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, inspected the air defense power operation and operational posture at the THAAD base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, and encouraged South Korean and U.S. soldiers.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The THAAD base was temporarily deployed in 2017 after a small-scale environmental impact assessment, but it has not been operating normally due to opposition from some Seongju residents. If the environmental operation evaluation results are approved as early as July, infrastructure construction within the base is expected to accelerate.

On the same day, General Kim also visited the Air Force Air Combat Command and the Navy Special Warfare Group to inspect their readiness for decisive battle and encourage the troops.

He reviewed the Air Force's "2023 Combined Squadron Joint Training," which started on the 17th and runs until the 28th, and said, "In case of enemy provocation, establish a decisive posture capable of strong retaliation within the scope of self-defense without hesitation."

During his visit to the Navy Special Warfare Group's special operations training ground, he said, "Ensure your operational capabilities and readiness are complete so that your very presence can instill fear in the enemy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.