The commander of U.S. forces in South Korea says it is essential to stay engaged in Northeast Asia as potential threats still require continued vigilance.

General James Thurman is the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC). General Thurman said that 70 percent of North Korea’s military force is deployed just across the demilitarized zone, adding that it is a “no-kidding threat.”

He made his comments during a special seminar organized by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington Wednesday.

General Thurman said whoever demands that commitment to South Korea be lessened is someone he doesn’t see as a “military man.” He said North Korea’s military remains the fourth-largest in the world with some one-point-two million service members in uniform.

General Thurman stressed that the U.S. must remain vigilant against possible military threats in the region, including the Korean Peninsula although the U.S. Army understandably remains preoccupied with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.