Did the U.S. military apologize to South Korea? U.S. commander: No, I didn't, and don't spread false rumors
After the standoff between Chinese and U.S. aircraft in the Yellow Sea, an extremely embarrassing incident occurred within South Korea.
First, media outlets such as Yonhap News Agency reported that the commander of the U.S. Forces in South Korea, Xavier Brunson, apologized to the South Korean military for the recent U.S. aircraft "training" that caused the confrontation between Chinese and U.S. aircraft, making the South Korean military feel tense.
At the same time, South Korea's Ministry of Defense spokesperson Jeong Min-jun stated at a press conference that Brunson had apologized to South Korea, and "according to his understanding, the content of the South Korean media's report is true."
However, it was quite interesting that this matter quickly took a twist - on the evening of the 24th, the U.S. Forces in South Korea issued a statement saying that Commander Brunson denied the South Korean media's claim of "apologizing to the South Korean military," stating only that he "expressed regret for not informing the South Korean side about the U.S. aircraft training," and there was no so-called "apology."
It should be said that the current situation where the South Korean military and the U.S. military have conflicting statements has somewhat exposed the growing tensions and frictions between the Lee Jae-myung government and the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea.
In recent years, the United States has attempted to shift the positioning of the U.S. forces in South Korea from "defending against North Korea" to "containing China," and hopes that South Korea will fully cooperate. However, the Lee Jae-myung government does not want South Korea to be drawn into the vortex of great power competition.
This position difference has led to frequent subtle changes in the relationship between the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and South Korea, such as the U.S. military bases strengthening control under the pretext of security, repeatedly blocking South Korean officials from entering certain areas; the U.S. side has become increasingly negligent in reporting sensitive training activities, even informing the South Korean side after the fact.
This confrontation between Chinese and U.S. aircraft is a concentrated outbreak of the tensions between the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and the Lee Jae-myung government: After the incident, the South Korean military immediately distanced itself from responsibility, on one hand complaining to the media that the U.S. "did not notify in advance about flight plans and took military provocations that would inevitably provoke China," and on the other hand, raising a rare protest against the U.S., indicating the dissatisfaction of South Korea.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858084591853832/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.