SEOUL, Gen. Kang Shin-chul, the new deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), was set to visit the United Nations Command (UNC)'s rear bases in Japan on Monday, the CFC said.
Kang will embark on a three-day trip to UNC rear bases near Tokyo, including Yokota Air Base and Yokosuka Navy Base, and other locations, which are designed to provide logistical and other forms of support in case of contingencies on the Korean Peninsula.
He will be accompanied by Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, the deputy commander of the UNC, during his first visit to UNC bases since taking office in early November, according to the CFC.
"This visit will strengthen the relationship between ROK and UNC and in their efforts to maintain peace and deter aggression" on the Korean Peninsula, the CFC said in a release, referring to South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea.
The U.S.-led UNC was established in 1950 to support South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, but its role was reduced to overseeing the armistice after its operational control over South Korean troops was handed over to the CFC in 1978.
The UNC is led by a four-star U.S. general, currently Gen. Paul LaCamera, who also heads the CFC and U.S. Forces Korea.
Earlier this month, defense ministers and representatives of South Korea and the UNC member states held their first meeting in Seoul to explore ways to expand security cooperation amid North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.
Source: Yonhap News Agency