PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province ― The U.S. Forces Korea Commander on Tuesday raised hopes for a fresh round of dialogue between the two Koreas despite concerns over heightened tension after Washington slapped new sanctions on Pyongyang.

Yet Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti stressed the need for “strong and credible” defense readiness in order for their talks to be effective, calling for U.S. and South Korean servicemen to maintain an airtight posture.

“Discussion between North and South Korea is always a good thing and I hope that the talks can take place,” he said during a meeting at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 60 kilometers south of Seoul.

“My priority is always, first of all to strengthen this alliance. We’ve got to maintain the readiness to fight tonight. ... Transforming the alliance is also important because as threats evolve, we have to change as well and improve as an alliance to deter the threats.”

The session was held as part of a visit by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se to cheer on the airmen and Seoul’s commitment to its alliance with Washington.

The commander’s remarks came days after the U.S. imposed new sanctions in retaliation for North Korea’s purported hack on Sony Pictures over a film about a plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-un.

The surprise announcement was feared to upend the mood for a cross-border reconciliation following Kim’s New Year speech, in which he expressed his willingness for a summit with South Korea.

Also known as the K-55, the installation is home to the Pacific Air Forces’ 51st Fighter Wing and South Korea’s Air Force Operations Command. It is one of the two U.S. airfields here, along with the Kunsan base.

During the one-day trip, the minister met with both countries’ commanders and servicemen, toured major facilities such as the Korea Air & Space Operations Center, and delivered funds to the 7th Air Force as scholarships for troops.

He was also accompanied by senior officials including Lee Kyung-soo, the deputy foreign minister; and Moon Seoung-hyun, director-general for North American affairs at the ministry. Among the U.S. participants were U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert and Lt. Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the new commander of the 7th Air Force.

“Here I was briefed and learned that our military alliance is able to deter, defend and defeat any external provocations or threats,” Yun said, calling them “invincible.”

“I believe it can also contribute to ending the armistice, the longest in world history, and bringing peace and reunification to the peninsula as we mark the 70th anniversary of the national division this year.”

Lippert echoed Yun’s assessment, saying the military cooperation was “extremely strong” and the “bedrock” of the bilateral relationship, while praising its transformation into a “global, diversified partnership” through which the allies also work together on regional and international issues such as the Ebola outbreak, the surge of Islamic State fighters and climate change.

The country’s foreign minister visits a military unit every year to encourage soldiers. In December 2013, Yun went to the Army’s 9th Infantry Division in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, while in 2012 his predecessor toured Camp Casey, the base of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed here to help defend against North Korea. The peninsula remains technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)