The commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has said Korea had been notified of a recent U.S. Air Force exercise that led to a rare standoff with Chinese fighter jets, voicing regret that the information was not briefed to top Korean officials in time. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the USFK, made the remarks in a phone call with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back as the brief aerial standoff with Chinese fighter jets last week prompted Ahn to lodge a protest that the drills were not properly shared with the Korean military. "Gen. Xavier Brunson spoke directly with the Minister of National Defense to reiterate that notification had been provided to the Republic of Korea side and expressed regret that (the minister) and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were not briefed in time," the USFK said in a statement. "U.S. Forces Korea conducts regular training to maintain the highest level of readiness and ensure it can fulfill its mission. We don't make apologies for maintaining readiness," it said. Brunson also spoke with JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and shared his assessment on mat