Overview
- Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Jin Young-sung lodged complaints with USFK commander Gen. Xavier Brunson following the Feb. 18 exercise.
- Roughly 10 USFK F-16s departed Osan Air Base and trained over international waters toward the area between South Korea’s and China’s air defense identification zones.
- China scrambled fighter jets as the U.S. aircraft neared the region, with no clash reported and no confirmed ADIZ incursions.
- Seoul says USFK gave advance notice of the drill but withheld detailed plans and the purpose, prompting formal objections over limited information sharing.
- Local reporting frames the episode as signaling tied to a U.S. strategy that envisions South Korea taking more primary responsibility for deterrence.