(2nd LD) USFK notifies S. Korea of air drills over Yellow Sea, voices regret drills not briefed in time

(2nd LD) S Korea-US-military

(2nd LD) USFK notifies S. Korea of air drills over Yellow Sea, voices regret drills not briefed in time

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SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- The commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has said South Korea had been notified of a recent U.S. Air Force exercise that led to a rare standoff with Chinese fighter jets, while voicing regret that South Korean commanders were not briefed on such drills in time.

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the USFK, made the remarks in a phone call with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back as the brief aerial standoff with Chinese fighter jets last week prompted Ahn to lodge a protest that the drills were not properly shared with the South Korean military.

"Gen. Xavier Brunson spoke directly with the Minister of National Defense to reiterate that notification had been provided to the Republic of Korea side and expressed regret that (the minister) and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were not briefed in time," the USFK said in a statement.

"U.S. Forces Korea conducts regular training to maintain the highest level of readiness and ensure it can fulfill its mission. We don't make apologies for maintaining readiness," it said.

Brunson also spoke with JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and shared his assessment on matters affecting readiness, it said, without elaborating, noting that he remains "fully committed" to the allies' combined defense posture.

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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