SEOUL: South Korea's foreign minister on Friday told a legislative hearing that the United States has not requested military or non-military assistance from Seoul over the war in the Middle East, but declined to comment on reports that Washington could relocate some of its assets in South Korea to support the fighting.
When asked by a lawmaker about a media report that US forces were moving some of its Patriot anti-missile defence systems to a major air base near Seoul, Cho Hyun said he couldn't confirm details related to US military operations.
Cho said Seoul and Washington were maintaining close communication and that the allies' combined defence posture would not be affected by developments in the Middle East.
US Forces Korea said in a statement it does not “comment on the movement, relocation, or potential repositioning of specific military capabilities or assets” for operational security reasons.
The USFK statement came in response to questions from The Associated Press about a Yonhap News report, citing anonymous sources, that said US forces moved multiple Patriot systems from other bases in South Korea to Osan Air Base, where transport aircraft were also spotted.
Yonhap said it wasn't immediately clear whether the movements were linked to the war or joint US-South Korea military drills beginning Monday.
“United States Forces Korea remains focused on maintaining a strong, ready, and combat-credible force posture on the Korean Peninsula,” the USFK said.