Foreign Minister Kang encourages South Korean, U.S. troops at Osan Air Base

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and South Korean and U.S. troops pose for a photo at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek (Yonhap)

Seoul: Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Saturday visited a U.S. air base south of Seoul to encourage South Korean and American troops, stressing the importance of the “all-weather, all-purpose” alliance, according to her office.

Her visit to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, came amid tensions over the allies’ hitherto unfruitful negotiations over the sharing of the cost for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

“Minister Kang underscored that the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which has taken firm root based on shared values such as free democracy and market economy, is all-weather, all-purpose,” her ministry said in a press release.

“She also noted that the existence of South Korean and U.S. troops who work together and share their everyday lives is the secret to our maintenance of the solid alliance in the face of any challenges,” it added.

At the base, Kang also had talks with South Korea’s Air Force Operational Command Commander Lt. Gen. Hwang Seong-jin and U.S. 7th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach.

The minister delivered to the military authorities donations that her ministry staff collected to express their appreciation for the troops’ efforts for the defense of South Korea.

YONHAP