U.S. Army Chief of Staff: "Korean Military's COVID-19 Response Shared with U.S. Forces Worldwide"

Army Chief of Staff Seo Wook is having a coordination call with U.S. Army Chief of Staff McConville on the 10th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] James McConville, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, stated regarding the Republic of Korea Army's response measures to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), "We are aware of the ROK Army's response measures through the United States Forces Korea, and these lessons are being shared with U.S. forces worldwide."

According to the Army on the 10th, the Chiefs of Staff of both countries' armies held a phone call on the same day, agreeing on close cooperation between military authorities to firmly maintain the combined defense posture, including measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, measures for the people, future training, and readiness.

This call was made after General McConville requested information sharing regarding the ROK Army's response measures to COVID-19. Previously, General Seo Wook also held calls with General Robert Abrams, Commander of United States Forces Korea, and General Michael Bills, Commander of the U.S. 8th Army.

General McConville emphasized, "The standards of the United States Forces Korea are becoming the standards for all U.S. forces," and urged, "Let us closely cooperate between Korea and the U.S. to resolve COVID-19."

In response, General Seo stated, "Our army is effectively blocking infections within the military through proactive and strong measures, and we are proactively deploying personnel to quarantine, prevention, and treatment sites implemented nationally to contribute to preventing community spread."

He also said, "The army's measures that were effective in blocking infections included rapid epidemiological investigations, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing for early isolation of confirmed cases, and the habitual practice of personal hygiene management."

In particular, General Seo expressed gratitude for the support provided by the Korea-U.S. combined forces in March for quarantine efforts in the Daegu region.

General McConville said, "The true heroes of this battle are the doctors, nurses, and scientists fighting on the front lines against COVID-19," and added, "We are closely supporting military assistance requests in cooperation with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) civilian leadership."

The Chiefs of Staff of both countries noted that the army's role is expanding in non-military security threats such as COVID-19, and agreed that military authorities will continue to cooperate on current issues until the situation is resolved.