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S. Korea split over whether to keep Zaytun
Division in Kurdistan-Iraq
21.9.2006
By Sohn Suk-joo
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SEOUL, September. 21 (Yonhap) -- "Peaceful
rebuilding" is the soundbite of the Zaytun Division
stationed in the Kurdish-controlled city of Erbil in
Kurdistan (northern Iraq), South Korea's largest
military commitment on foreign soil since the end of
the Vietnam War in 1975.
Local residents form a long line to enter a Zaytun-run
hospital, its vocational training center offers them
a rare chance to succeed in the war-torn country and
new schools built by the troops are seen as fertile
ground for fostering a new generation of leaders.
But the fate of the 2,400-strong Zaytun unit will
likely depend on public opinion in South Korea
because its deployment mandate is set to expire at
the end of December. The country is sharply divided
over whether to keep its contingent there beyond
this deadline.
"It is time that they come home. They've completed
the stated mission of securing order in Erbil. It
was only wishful thinking on the government's part
that the deployment will help solve pending issues
between Seoul and Washington, including how to deal
with North Korea's nuclear weapons program," Kong
Sun-gyung, chief of the peace establishment center
at the People's Solidarity for Participatory
Democracy, said Thursday.
On Wednesday, Zaytun military leaders and Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) officials held a ceremony
to mark the second anniversary of the unit's
deployment in Erbil. South Korea officially
stationed the Zaytun Division there on Sept. 22 in
2004 after gaining parliamentary approval.
"The long-standing alliance between Seoul and
Washington is the most important factor in its
deployment. It is difficult to say whether a bill
will be submitted to parliament until November for
extending their presence there given pending
Seoul-Washington issues and divided public opinion,"
said Col. Kang Yong-hee, chief of the media affairs
division at the Defense Ministry.
South Korea and the U.S. are currently negotiating a
timetable for the transfer of wartime operational
control of South Korea's armed forces, which
currently rests with the chief of U.S. troops in
South Korea. Defense chiefs of both countries will
hold an annual meeting in Washington next month and
unveil the terms of a new alliance, with a focus on
Seoul's greater role in its own military operations.
The dispatch of the Zaytun unit, meaning "olive" in
Arabic, drew harsh criticism from progressive civic
groups.
They opposed it, saying that South Korea should not
join a U.S. campaign based on false claims about the
existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
South Korea is the second-largest coalition partner
after Britain in what the U.S. says is a war against
terrorism.
"The South Korean government has lost its cause for
having troops there, and has failed to win practical
gains in return for the deployment," Kong said,
noting that the U.S. has not acted in ways to
benefit South Korea in its dealings with North
Korea, while no economic benefits have materialized
in Iraq.
The U.S. is imposing a financial squeeze on North
Korea despite a plea from South Korea to lift the
existing financial sanctions and pave the way for
the resumption of six-party talks over Pyongyang's
nuclear weapons program.
South Korea has decided to cut the number of troops
stationed in Iraq out of necessity rather than
opposition to the deployment. The country plans to
downsize its military contingent there to 2,300 by
the end of this year. It originally stood at 3,300
two years ago.
"At first, we needed a lot of soldiers for
construction and other work because there was
nothing there. But the situation has stabilized and
so we need fewer soldiers now in Erbil," said Maj.
Kim Tae-won, a spokesman at the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
Despite the troop cuts, the Zaytun unit continues to
build a positive image of South Korea, not only in
Iraq but around the world, Kim said.
Some 43,000 Kurdish patients have received medical
treatment from the Zaytun-run hospital since Nov.
27, 2004. The contingent also offers night courses
in the Kurdish language and the Korean traditional
martial art of taekwondo.
Since May, South Korea has been providing security
and convoy services for the U.N. Assistance Mission
for Iraq (UNAMI), stationed near the Zaytun
compound.
"The deployment was a judicious decision in the
interests of the country. The controversy should
stop immediately, as soon as the endorsement's
made," said Lee Sook-gyong, chief of the public
relations division at the Korea Veterans
Association.
On Tuesday, however, a group of five liberal-leaning
ruling and opposition lawmakers departed for Erbil
to prove what they call their rationale for opposing
the deployment of the South Korean troops.
Rep. Im Jong-in of the ruling Uri Party said that
they will monitor the public view there of the South
Korean troops and the political orientation of the
coalition members of the new Iraqi government.
"The government rationale for the troop dispatch
turned out to be totally wrong. The war is
continuing unabated and the U.S. does not respect
our position that peaceful means should be sought to
resolve North Korea's nuclear weapons program," Im
told reporters.
yna co.kr
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