Top U.S. general in S. Korea stresses U.N. Command's role for peace in Northeast Asia

By Song Sang-ho

SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- U.N. Command (UNC) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera on Tuesday highlighted the U.S.-led institution's role in crisis management on the Korean Peninsula and peace in Northeast Asia, saying it "cannot be replicated by any other organization."

LaCamera made the remarks as the command maintains its relevance as an enforcer of the armistice that effectively halted the 1950-53 Korean War, amid lingering questions over the need to update the long-standing entity.

"The work of the U.N. Command remains vital for maintaining the armistice agreement, providing tools for crisis management, and is essential to maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia," he said at a ceremony marking the founding of the Korea-UNC Friendship Association, a body promoting the importance of the command.

"This is the type of work that the UNC performs daily, and it cannot be replicated by any other organization," he added.

The UNC was launched in 1950 under a U.N. mandate to "restore peace" during the war. Following the establishment of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) in 1978, the UNC has served primarily as an enforcer of the armistice.

Seoul officials have said that talks have been under way between South Korea and the UNC to update or modernize the command in line with changes that have occurred over the last decades. Details on the process remain unknown.

LaCamera also leads the CFC and the U.S. Forces Korea.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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