USFK commander seeks to skip Congressional hearing due to NK threats

USFK commander seeks to skip Congressional hearing due to NK threats. April. 11, 2017 07:13. by Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com.

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks is seeking to skip attending the U.S. Congressional hearing this month and instead make a written reporting, as he tries to avoid leadership vacuum in the midst of volatile security situations surrounding the Korean Peninsula including North Korea's provocation threats.

According to military sources on Monday, the commander is scheduled to attend the House Committee on Armed Services hearing on April 24-26, where he has to report North Korea's military trends and countermeasures by combined U.S. and Korean forces before Senate and House members, with answer related questions. It is an important annual event that draws attention since North Korea's recent signs of provocations and its state of military buildup are explained in detail. Former USFK commanders had regularly attended the hearing.

However, Gen. Vincent Brooks is examining making a written reporting. This is based on the judgement that he cannot break away due to heightened possibility of North Korea's provocations. The US Forces Korea explained that they are asking to be excused to thoroughly prepare for the North's possible high intensity provocations including nuclear tests and ICBM firing around the country's supreme people’s assembly on April 11, the North's late founder Kim Il Sung's birthday on April 15 and anniversary of its Korea People's Army on April 25.