Seoul, Sep 9 (IANS) The top military commanders of South Korea and the US Forces Korea (USFK) visited eastern front-line border units Wednesday, reaffirming joint readiness and deterrence amid a surge in North Korean border activities in recent weeks.
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman General Jin Yong-sung and General Xavier Brunson, Commander of the USFK, visited eastern border posts to inspect operations and readiness along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the JCS said in a release.
“The Commanders reaffirmed the solid South Korea-US combined defence posture and agreed on the need to continue to strengthen capabilities, readiness and interoperability to effectively respond to the evolving security environment and maintain robust deterrence,” the JCS said.
Inspecting an eastern guard post, the commanders evaluated recent North Korean military operations near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) inside the DMZ buffer zone and checked the readiness of the border units, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The inspection follows a sharp rise in border incursions by North Korean troops along the eastern front, with South Korea’s military detecting over 20 such cases in August alone, exceeding the 17 similar incidents recorded throughout 2025.
Pyongyang has also stepped up building barbed-wire fences and planting landmines along the border, a move seen as a strategic border-hardening in line with its policy defining the South as a hostile state.
Expressing grave concern over North Korean activities near the MDL, Jin called for heightened vigilance, saying dense summer greenery and frequent fog can create challenging conditions for surveillance operations.
“We must closely analyse even the smallest signs to prevent any surprise attacks, and if the enemy provokes, we must terminate their operations with decisive responses,” Jin was quoted as saying by the JCS.
Brunson, who doubles as the commander of the United Nations Command and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, underscored a staunch defence posture on the Korean Peninsula, noting how stability has been maintained for the past seven decades under the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
Brunson said the joint inspection demonstrates the ironclad alliance between the two countries and their shared commitment to defending South Korea and safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, according to the JCS.
Jin also commended troops stationed along the front line for their service.
–IANS
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