Commander of US Forces Korea: ”Reduce US forces in Korea?” ... ”I've never heard of that”

On the 27th (local time), General Xavier Brunson, commander of the US Forces Korea, responded to recent US media reports of a US troop reduction in Korea by saying, "I haven't heard anything from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff never called me or spoke to me about the report," Brown said at an online seminar hosted by the Institute of Korea-America Studies (ICAS) on the same day.
On the 22nd of this month, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted a US Defense Department official as saying, "The Defense Department is considering redeploying about 4,500 US troops stationed in South Korea to other regions.
In response, General Brown emphasized that the WSJ article did not quote the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Meanwhile, the US military in Korea also responded to the WSJ report by saying, "The report states that the US Department of Defense will reduce US troops in Korea.
"This is not true," the statement said. "The United States is firmly committed to the defense of South Korea, and we look forward to discussing with the new government ways to maintain and strengthen our strong alliance."