U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard says the South Korea-U.S. alliance is and will remain strong based on mutual interests.

In a farewell meeting with Foreign Ministry correspondents on Thursday, the outgoing ambassador said the two countries' alliance remains firm, despite what he called the media's attempt to portray an apparent rift in Seoul-Washington relations.

Looking back upon his nearly three years of service in Korea, Hubbard said he had the most difficult time during an incident in 2002 when two South Korean teenage girls were run over and killed by a U.S. military vehicle.

He said he most regretted Washington's failure to apologize and adequately convey America