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| ▲ Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung (2nd from L) inspects an unspecified unit in this photo released by the JCS on March 10, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
JCS chief-joint drills
Top general visits key Marine, Navy units to inspect S. Korea-U.S. drills
SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top general on Tuesday visited key Marine Corps and Navy units to inspect their participation in an ongoing major exercise with U.S. troops, his office said.
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung visited the Combined Marine Component Command and the Northwest Islands Defense Command and urged troops to verify wartime plans during the Freedom Shield exercise as South Korea seeks to take back wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, according to the JCS.
Jin also visited the Navy's 2nd Fleet headquartered in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, where he said the joint exercise serves as an opportunity for the allies to prove their capabilities, the JCS said.
The allies' annual springtime exercise began its 11-day run on Monday, with this year's edition focusing on assessing conditions to achieve the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul.
South Korea has been seeking a "conditions-based" transfer of wartime OPCON from the U.S. within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term that ends in 2030.
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