A former US Forces Korea commander voiced concerns Thursday over the chances of misunderstanding and miscalculation leading to conflict on the Korean Peninsula, as he pointed to North Korea's unwillingness for dialogue and its close ties with China and Russia.

Speaking at a forum, Robert Abrams, who led USFK from 2018-2021, said that "we are back where we were" in 2017 when tensions heightened due to a series of North Korean provocations, including its sixth nuclear test and ballistic missile launches.

"It's a very difficult situation and the chances for misunderstanding, miscalculation or ... an accident that could flash into a small conflict," Abrams said during the virtual forum hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He described the current security situation as being at a "stalemate," in which Pyongyang refuses to return to dialogue while it has been "emboldened" by cozy ties with Beijing and Moscow.

In recent weeks, concerns about the potential for a cross-border clash rose as the North walked away from the Comprehensive Military Agreement, a 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction agreement, following the South's decision to partially suspend it in response to the North's satellite launch last month.

Commenting on the CMA, Abrams said that there is an increased chance of "some sort of kinetic activity" -- an apparent reference to military moves that could add to tensions on the peninsula.

But he said that Seoul and Washington are "tightly aligned" to confront North Korean threats.

Abrams also forecast "fever-pitch" media discourse next year on the potential impact that former President Donald Trump could bring regarding USFK troop levels should he be reelected.

He made the remarks, noting the "rumors" that during his presidency, Trump wanted to pare down the size of the 28,500-strong USFK.

"We will start to see in Korean media, as the polls come out, by next summer," he said. "It will be at a fever pitch, I predict, with regards to the possible outcomes and impacts if Trump wins, vis-a-vis the USFK troops levels." (Yonhap)