South Korean Media Misreports So Called Apology from the USFK Commander
This Yonhap article has a completely deceptive title saying “USFK Chief Expresses ‘Regret” to Seoul Defense Minister Over Air Standoff Incident with China”. When you read the article Gen. Brunson did not show regret for conducting the exercise that led to the air stand off; the regret was that he did not personally notify the Defense Minister:
The commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has expressed “regret” to the South Korean defense minister that he was not briefed on the recent U.S. Air Force drills over the Yellow Sea on time, the USFK said Tuesday.
Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a phone call with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back last week to discuss the situation surrounding the U.S. Air Force drill staged from last Wednesday to Thursday.
In a statement to the press, the USFK said the commander had spoken directly with Ahn to reiterate that “notification had been provided to the Republic of Korea side,” and expressed regret that the defense minister and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) “were not briefed in time.”
“U.S. Forces Korea conducts regular training to maintain the highest level of readiness and ensure it can fulfill its mission,” it said in the statement, adding, “We don’t make apologies for maintaining readiness.”
You can read more at the link and The Korea Times did the same thing was a misleading headline of “USFK Commander Reportedly Apologize Over West Sea Drill. If you read the article he once again only shared his regret that the Defense Minister was not notified. He did regret or apologize for conducting the exercise. In both articles USFK says that the ROK military were notified of the exercise. It is not Brunson’s fault that the ROK military failed to inform their senior leadership.
I think Gen. Brunson has learned you do not apologize when you did nothing wrong because the news media will twist it. Instead Gen. Brunson should have asked Defense Minister Ahn if the Russians and Chinese call him to let them know when they fly right through South Korea’s ADIZ multiple times with fighters and bomber aircraft?
