Posted on 09/15/2003 8:07:02 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
US Asks S. Korea for Thousands of Soldiers
By Seo Soo-min
Staff Reporter
The United States has asked South Korea for a light infantry division consisting of at least some 2,000-3,000 soldiers to keep the peace in Iraq, citing the Polish Division in Iraq as an example, a senior government official said yesterday.
``The United States has asked for a division of light infantry soldiers capable of operating on a self-sustainable basis,’’ the official said.
He added there was no mention of the exact size, although the Polish Division was mentioned as a likely model.
The request was made by Assistant Deputy Defense Secretary Richard Lawless to a senior Chong Wa Dae official on Sept. 4, on the sideline of his visit here for the alliance talks, he said.
The official said the Polish Division means ``not a full-sized division, but a downsized one which includes division headquarters, communications and transportation units as well as a brigade.’’
Poland sent some 2,300 soldiers to assist in the U.S.-led in Iraq. It is in charge of a multinational infantry division consisting of some 10,000 soldiers from 21 countries.
The official said about a dozen countries, including India, Pakistan and Turkey, had been asked by the U.S. to take part in the postwar efforts to stabilize Iraq, which have encountered much difficulty.
As for the length of the South Korean troops’ stay, he said one year _ until a civilian government forms in Iraq _ was likely.
``We have set no timetable for a decision on the (troop) dispatch issue,’’ the official said. ``But the South Korea-U.S. summit during the (Oct. 20-21) APEC summit could be a reference.’’
Defense Ministry officials said special warfare forces would likely make up the majority of the combat troops to part to Iraq, if a decision is made.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday said the size of the international force could be anything from zero to between 10,000 and 15,000.
Washington is encountering difficulty in mobilizing additional troops from other countries to Iraq.
The government in Seoul is seen as tilting towards the troop dispatch despite heavy domestic criticism, in consideration of the overall security situation amidst the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Support for the U.S. could also throw weight behind South Korea in the ongoing discussion of U.S. troop realignment on the peninsula, but officials denied that they were planning a tradeoff with the U.S. with the Iraqi issue.
``Rather than expect an immediate return, we should pay attention to how the dispatch itself would contribute to our national interests, our profile in the international society as well as security and peace on the Korean peninsula,’’ the senior official said.
Unlike a U.N. peacekeeping force, which is under the U.N.’s command and is also funded by the organization, South Korea would pay for its own troops under the envisaged U.S. plan for commanding joint troops.
South Korea sent three combat divisions totaling 50,000 troops to assist the U.S. in the Vietnam War. It has mostly sent non-combat personnel to other international military operations, including 314 soldiers to the Gulf War and 486 soldiers to Afghanistan.
A total of 675 South Korean soldiers, mostly military engineers and medical personnel, are currently in Iraq.
Meanwhile, North Korea urged South Korea not to dispatch combat troops to Iraq, saying that doing so would be "a mean pro-U.S. subservient act." "Submission to foreign forces in disregard of the dignity and the interests of the nation would lead the nation to disgraceful ruin and death," said the North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun.
"The South Korean authorities should ponder over the grave consequences to be entailed by their traitorous troop dispatch to Iraq and resolutely reject the U.S. demand for it," the paper said in a report carried by the country's Korean Central News Agency.
Charming fellows, N. Koreans are.
Because the enemy had become aware that our troops were not going to be allowed to win the war.
On the edge of the free world, I guess it helps to motivate one to fight.
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