Gen. Martin Dempsey affirms U.S. commitment to South Korean defense

U.S. Army General Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), recently called his South Korean counterpart to discuss and affirm the strong defense partnership shared between the two nations.

Dempsey made the call to Chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Choi Yoon-hee on Friday, Aug. 21.

During the official call, Dempsey expressed the unwavering commitment of the U.S. to the Republic of Korea’s defense, according to a dictation taken of the call which was released by Dempsey’s staff.

Dempsey also reiterated the strength of the U.S.-Korea alliance in non-military issues such as economics, Navy Captain Greg Hicks, a JCS public affairs officer said during the readout of the call.

The two top military leaders “concurred they would watch North Korea's actions closely in the coming days,” Hicks said, “and would ensure that the U.S. and [the Republic of Korea] continue to work closely with one another to deter further North Korean provocations and defuse tensions.”

The call was in response to heightened tensions between the Republic of Korea and North Korea, with North Korean threats to fire artillery rounds at a system of loudspeakers erected by the government in Seoul to send anti-Pyongyang messages over the border.

A South Korean spokesman said Tuesday that the situation has been resolved and that tensions are de-escalating.