Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations Command, visited the Ministry of National Defense building on the afternoon of the 18th. The visit came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump on the 16th (local time) ordered the downsizing of the South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises. The combined exercises are the core of the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture.
Commander Brunson arrived at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, at about 3:25 p.m. that day, stayed for about 20 minutes, and then left, according to reports.
Originally, Commander Brunson was scheduled to attend a memorial service marking the 50th anniversary of the "Panmunjom ax murder incident," held that morning at the Joint Security Area (JSA) Guard Battalion in Paju, Gyeonggi. But Brunson did not appear there.
Scott Winter, deputy commander of the United Nations Command (UNC), said at the memorial service, "Commander Brunson called me from a helicopter about an hour ago," and "expressed deep regret that he was unable to attend due to an urgent call and asked me to deliver his eulogy instead."
President Trump said on the 16th via social media that he had ordered Pete Hegseth, Minister of the Ministry of National Defense (War Department), to drastically scale back the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises. As a result, there was speculation that the South Korean and U.S. military authorities would begin discussions on reducing the exercises.
In particular, there is talk that "Ulchi Freedom Shield" (UFS), the regular combined exercise that began on the 17th, could also be subject to downsizing. UFS is a training exercise to defend the Korean Peninsula in the event of a contingency. That is why Brunson's visit to the building is being interpreted as aimed at discussing ways to scale back the exercises.
However, it was not confirmed whether the visit was related to President Trump's order.