By Josh Smith
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (Reuters) – Germany officially joined the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea on Friday, joining a group of nations that police the border with North Korea and have committed to help defend the South in the event of a war.
Germany is the 18th country to join the command and the first since Italy was reinstated in 2013.
The move is a “clear sign” of Berlin’s commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a ceremony at the main U.S. military headquarters in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul.
“We are taking our commitment to a more permanent level,” he said.
As part of the UNC, Germany will share responsibility for protecting the South’s border with North Korea, he said.
The move represents the need to show unity and stand firm against those who attack “our common order”, Pistorius said, adding that it is evidence of Germany’s view that European and Indo-Pacific security is closely linked.
U.S. Army General Paul LaCamera, commander of the UNC and United States Forces Korea, said Germany’s addition would diversify the perspectives and capacities available to the UNC.
(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Ed Davies)
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