By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jung-bok met with U.S. Pacific Command Commander Samuel Paparo on Dec. 20 and formally invited him to attend the 75th anniversary of the Incheon Battle D-Day commemoration, which Incheon will host as a national event next year.

Mayor Yoo was the only city governor invited to attend the change of command ceremony for the commander of U.S. Forces Korea at Humphreys U.S. Army Base in Pyeongtaek at 2 p.m., where he presented an official invitation to U.S. Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo, who presided over the ceremony to attend next year's commemoration.

In the invitation, Mayor Yoo said, “The 75th anniversary of the Incheon landing in September next year may be the last event for veterans,” adding, “We are preparing a special event with veterans and the leaders of eight participating countries (South Korea, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands), so I think it will be more meaningful if Commander Paparo attends.”

Earlier in the day, U.S. Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo presided over a ceremony to transfer command of U.N. Command, U.S. Forces Korea, ROK/US Combined Forces Command to General Xavier Brunson. 

The commander of U.S. Forces Korea will serve as both the commander of the United Nations Command and the commander of ROK/US Combined Forces Command. U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Brunson for the position in September, and the Senate confirmed him the same month.

 
Meanwhile, Kim Sun-ho, vice minister of defense, attended the ceremony and stressed the importance of the U.S.-ROK alliance to the U.S. side. 

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is the oldest and largest U.S. unified combatant command in the Indo-Pacific region, with jurisdiction over a large area from the West Coast of the United States to the West Coast of India, covering about 52 percent of the Earth's surface.