▲ Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung (front, L) and Gen. Xavier Brunson (front, R), commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, visit troops on the border island of Baengnyeong in the Yellow Sea on March 12, 2026, in this photo provided by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

JCS chief-joint drills

JCS chairman, USFK commander inspect front-line troops during annual joint drills

SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- Top military commanders of South Korea and the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) inspected front-line troops near the western sea border Thursday to review their combined defense posture as the allies carried out their annual joint exercise.

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, who also serves as commander of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, visited the border island of Baengnyeong to inspect the Warrior Shield field training conducted as part of the annual Freedom Shield exercise.

Jin urged commanders to demonstrate the strength of the alliance through intensive combined field training exercises and enhance practical combined operational capabilities, the JCS said.

The JCS chairman also thanked the troops for carrying out their mission of protecting residents on the border island in the Yellow Sea near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border with North Korea.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Gyu-ha also visited an urban operations training ground in Incheon, just west of Seoul, to inspect the troops' defense posture against complex threats in urban areas.

Conducted as part of a live field training event, the drills involved troops from the Army's 17th Infantry Division, along with civilian, government, police and firefighting personnel, aimed at boosting urban warfare capabilities in a realistic environment.

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