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S. Korea delays decision on fate of troops
in Iraqi Kurdistan
28.6.2007
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June
28, 2007
SEOUL, -- The Ministry of National Defense
has delayed its decision on whether or not to extend
the mission of Korean troops in Iraq for another
year, amid calls from progressive civic groups for a
full troop withdrawal this year.
In a report to the National Assembly Thursday, the
ministry said it will submit a final report on the
termination of the 1,200-strong troops deployed in
Iraq for humanitarian and reconstruction works
during the regular Assembly session in September.
Under a parliamentary motion passed in December last
year, the ministry promised to fix a timetable for
the withdrawal of the Zaytun Division in Kurdistan
region (northern Iraq) city of Erbil, controlled by
the Kurdistan government.
Brig. Gen. Kim Byoung-gi, deputy director-general of
the ministry's international policy bureau, cited
three reasons for the delay.
The first is the "unclear'' political and security
conditions in the war-torn Middle East nation, Kim
said.
"We've concluded that it is too early to make a
final decision on the future of our troops as the
results of the U.S. new Iraqi policy regarding troop
size, budget allocation and political concessions to
Sunni minority are to come out in September,'' Kim
told reporters.
"Second, we need more time to watch the developments
of other coalition partners in Iraq,'' he said. "For
example, the United Kingdom, Poland and Australia
haven't made decisions yet on the withdrawal of
troops from Iraq. Their decisions are also expected
to be made by September,'' he said.
He also cited potential economic benefits from an
extended deployment, referring to a bill to empower
the Kurdistan government to distribute oil-drilling
rights to foreign firms.
The bill is expected to be endorsed next month, he
said.
"South Korean companies are expected to join bids to
earn oil concessions in the Iraqi region. That's
another factor that we decided to delay the decision
on troop pullout,'' said the one-star general. "In
any case, however, the top priority on the decision
will be of national interest.''
In March, the governor of Erbil hinted that his
provincial government would give an oil concession
to South Korean firms for the country's successful
efforts to help rebuild Kurdistan region.
Late last month, the state-funded Korea Institute
for Defense Analyses (KIDA) recommended Defense
Minister Kim Jang-soo consider extending South
Korean troops' stay in Iraq, citing the potential
economic benefits, ministry officials said.
KIDA researchers called for reducing the troop
strength from the current 1,200 to 400, they said.
Since 2004, when about 3,600 forces were dispatched
to Erbil city, the capital of Kurdistan region
(northern Iraq) , South Korea has been the third
largest troop contributor to the U.S.-led Operation
Iraqi Freedom, after the United States and the
United Kingdom.
Despite the three-year reconstruction efforts in
Iraq, however, South Korea has had few economic
benefits with Korean companies banned from operating
there since 2004, when an Islamic militant group
beheaded a Korean worker.
The U.S.-led war in Iraq is becoming more and more
unpopular as the number of casualties steadily
increases. The four -year U.S. military death toll
in Iraq has surpassed 3,500, while the number of
British troops killed reached 150.
koreatimes co.kr
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