1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha visited the Osan Air Base and the United States (U.S.) Army Garrison Humphreys (Camp Humphreys) in Pyeongtaek on September 20. During the visit, she had a meeting with Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Robert Abrams, toured main facilities of the two bases, and had a luncheon meeting with Korean and U.S. service members.

2. During her meeting with Commander Abrams, Minister Kang extended appreciation to the Commander for his role in and contribution to supporting diplomatic efforts toward denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as maintaining robust combined readiness posture.

° Commander Abrams, welcoming Minister Kang to Camp Humphreys, mentioned that her visit reflects the close coordination not only between the defense authorities but also between the diplomatic and defense authorities of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the U.S.
 
° Minister Kang noted that Camp Humphreys, which is one of the best in terms of the scale and uptodateness, is an evidence of the ROK nationals’ unity in supporting the ROK-U.S. alliance. Commander Abrams extended appreciation to the ROK people for their support and assistance in the construction of the base.

° Minister Kang and Commander Abrams agreed to work together for further strengthening and developing the ROK-U.S. alliance, which has successfully evolved over the past 66 years in adaptation to the changing environment.

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3. Minister Kang visited the Korea Air and Space Operation Center in Osan and the ROK-U.S. Combined Division in Pyeongtaek back to back, where she toured such major facilities as the Master Control and Reporting Center and an air defense artillery battery, and saw for herself that the two countries are in watertight coordination to keep firm combined defense posture.

° In particular, at the Osan Air Base, Minister Kang had a luncheon meeting with about 20 service people of the ROK and U.S. Air Forces in the presence of commander of the ROK Air Force operations Hwang Seong-jin and Commander of the Seventh Air Force Kenneth S. Wilsbach. She commended the service people’s around-the-clock efforts to defend the airspace over the Korean Peninsula and underscored that the ROK-U.S. alliance is more important than ever in the rapidly changing security situation.