▲ In this file photo, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, leaves a gathering with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby in Seoul on Jan. 26, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) USFK commander-apology

(LEAD) USFK chief expresses 'regret' to Seoul defense minister over air standoff incident with China

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; UPDATES throughout with USFK statement)

SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- 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."

The USFK commander also spoke with JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and shared his professional assessment on matters affecting readiness, it said, without elaborating.

The statement came after U.S. and Chinese fighter jets engaged in a rare standoff over the Yellow Sea during a U.S. Air Force training operation that involved some 10 USFK F-16 fighter jets.

The F-16 jets reportedly flew to an area between the respective air defense identification zones of South Korea and China, prompting the Chinese military to dispatch its own fighter jets to the scene, but no clash occurred.

Following the incident, Ahn reportedly lodged a complaint in a call with Brunson last Thursday over the failure to share details of the exercise with South Korean authorities in advance.

The incident led the U.S. military to end the exercise on Thursday, earlier than the planned end on Saturday.

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