This article was originally posted on Jayu Press and translated by OKN Correspondent.
President-elect Yoon Seok-youl visited Camp Humphreys, a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 7, expressing his willingness to strengthen the alliance and deter and respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
President-elect Yoon visited Camp Humphreys by helicopter earlier in the day and stressed that he “chose to visit Camp Humphreys, the heart of the ROK-U.S. military alliance, as the first base to visit as president-elect.” According to the president-elect’s spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin, Yoon gave words of encouragement to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and received a briefing from General Paul LaCamera, commander of the USFK and the Combined Forces Command, and deputy commander General Kim Seung-kyum.
Yoon called for strong deterrence through the ROK-U.S. military alliance and combined defense posture. He stressed, “With the international situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s launch of ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile), we cannot overemphasize the strong deterrence through the ROK-U.S. military alliance and combined defense posture.”
“The freedom and prosperity of the Republic of Korea we enjoy today was made possible because of the dedication and sacrifice of many veterans,” Yoon said, expressing gratitude to General LaCamera and his troops. He then wrote in the guest book, “Pyeongtaek is a symbol of the strong ROK-U.S. alliance.”
General LaCamera, who welcomed the president-elect, also stressed the importance of the “iron-clad alliance” between the Republic of Korea and the United States, saying, “Failure to fulfill the role in achieving stability on the Korean Peninsula would be a dereliction of duty.”
An official from the USFK also said in a separate document that General LaCamera “expressed the firm will of the United Nations Command, the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, and the USFK to provide a strong combined defense posture to maintain peace, security, and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” He also expressed his gratitude to the Korean people for making it possible to build the Camp Humphreys base.
Yoon also viewed the ‘Korean War Armistice Room’ with Lieutenant General Willard Burleson of the Eighth United States Army and the USFK Assistant Chief of Staff J5 Major General Robert Sofge, and afterwards he had a meal with South Korean and American soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division at the mess hall.
Yoon and the soldiers made conversations in a comfortable setting and talked about their duties. President-elect Yoon also took many pictures with South Korean and American soldiers at their request.
Camp Humphreys is the key base for the U.S. Forces Korea, which houses the UN Command, the USFK Command, Special Operations Command, the Eighth Army, and the 2nd Infantry Division. The headquarters of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command in Yongsan is also scheduled to be relocated to Camp Humphreys within the year. Former presidents Park Geun-hye, Lee Myung-bak and the late Roh Moo-hyun visited the Combined Forces Command in Yongsan when they were elected, but this is the first time a president-elect made a separate visit to Camp Humphreys.
To read the original article in Korean, please click here.
