Landslide Vote! S. Korea Parliament Votes To Send 700 Military/Medics To Help USA In Iraq (Breaking)

Chosun Ilbo Daily News-Seoul (English Version) ^ | 2 April 2003 | Chosun Ilbo Daily News (English Version)

[AmericanInTokyo]

S. Korean Assembly Votes to Send Troops to Iraq

by Hong Seok-joon (udo@chosun.com)

The National Assembly today passed the bill to dispatch troops to Iraq, with 179 legislators voting in favor, 68 against and 9 abstentions. In an earlier vote, the amended dispatch bill, to send only a medical support group, was rejected with 44 in favor, 198 against and 14 abstentions.

The bill clears the way for the Ministry of National Defense to send 600 military engineers and about 100 medics to Iraq in May. The ministry is planning to recruit dispatch troops by the end of this week and to conduct one month of training.

"Helping the United States and ensuring close Korea-United States ties is a much better than seeing the relationship deteriorate and trying to justifying it by a failure to deal with North Korea’s nuclear issue," President Roh said in a speech earlier today to the National Assembly.

Ahead of the vote, Millennium Democratic Party members Kim Keun-Tae, Jong Bum-goo and Kim Seong-Ho, Grand National Party (GNP) members Suh Sang Suhp, and People’s Party for Reform’s Kim Won Wung opposed the dispatch, saying the war on Iraq in an invasion without any justification.

The GNP’s Park Se-Hwan spoke in favor of the bill, saying, "dispatching the troops is the cost of maintaining Korea-United States relations."

[AmericanInTokyo]

I would say the blood they spilled in the territory of the Republic of Vietnam, as our Allies at the time, pretty much makes up for the PX/BX fiasco.

[RightWhale]

Good. They can sense the changing tide. Alliances are being formed, old alliances are being discarded. Sea change.

[cake_crumb]

"How about sending them NOW??"

We really don't need them badly right now. This is a gesture on the part of South Korea. They will have plenty to do when they finally get to Iraq, even though Iraq will be in a post-Saddam situation by then.

There will still be terrorist activity, just like in Afghanistan, as the rabid Islamakazis trickle through the borders.

The gesture is welcome and appreciated. Every individual sent by coalition allies, even if they are sent after the main fighting is pretty much over, frees up that many coalition troops to deal with future situations as they occur.

[FreeTheHostages]

Get your facts straight and drop you anti-S. Korean bias

Well, your view of the facts definitely means this is more good news. But your conclusion that we should all applaud the South Korean government doesn't follow. My post specifically says that I'm not sure that the South Korean people are against us, but that the South Korean government *has* been making less than friendly noises and that I don't think this one small gesture should lead us to warmly embrace that government. Rather, I think we should be giving them the cold shoulder and encouraging the South Korean people to elect a more US-friendly executive.

I don't know where you get "S-Korean bias" from. I'm not. In fact, everything I said is, I happen to know, the point of a view of a New York-based journalist who does Korean-only news broadcasts in that area. Encouraging South Korea to stop prematurely cozying up to North Korea would not be "biased" against the South Korean people -- it would be good for them.

Especially since I made an express distinction between the people and the executive, I find your reference to "bias" rather hollow and disingenuous. Accusing someone of that because they disagree with your position is a low level of debate normally reserved for leftists. I find your posts to generally be of a higher level than your last, so whatever. Thanks for the facts. And if you have anything *substantive* to say regarding why we should all be super-friendly with the Korean government based on this gesture, I'd be more interested in hearing it.

Oh, and finally: your point that I'm a minority of one. I don't think so. I think *many* people in the Bush administration have serious reservations about where the leadership in South Korea is taking their people. And, to judge from the pro-US rallies in the streets, so do many of their people. And so do many Korean Americans in the United States.

One of the great things about Free Republic is that you so infrequently encounter modes of argument along the lines of "if you disagree with me you're racist" or "I have more votes for my position in this thread so I win."

[AmericanInTokyo]

Don't get so defensive. Chill out. Go get a cold mekju and some pajon snacks, and enjoy the jpg here of the massive PRO-US demonstration in Seoul a few weeks ago (more being scheduled for this month).

[wtc911]

"either you are with us or you are with the terrorists."

Korea gets it.

[FreeTheHostages]

OK, deal. I guess I'm just remembering that this legislation was put off once because of some anti-American outbursts over there? (I'm getting kinda sick of those -- we've done a lot for people and they should be grateful.) But it's definitely good news that this legislation got pushed through and that the legislature was in pro-US hands. Times like this, I guess we expect and want our allies to behave like, well, allies. Something from South Korea is better than nothing, and things are trending the right direction.

[risk]

68 against

Let's take names.

[gaijin]

Well said.

[FreeTheHostages]

Thanks *but* see post 40 for a partial rebuttal regarding some facts I pass over to quickly (as well as my post 44 highly defensive response ;).

[jerrymdss]

Did Teddy fall off the wagon again -- has he missed his meetings?

[a_Turk]

I asked you again and again to stop pinging me. I am not interested in a flame war. Just leave me the heck alone.

[proud American in Canada]

bump! thank you!

can someone post an email address! ?

[wtc911]

Got the message from Jim...he asked me to leave you alone...I suggest that you stop the name calling in your posts...you will get more civilized responses.

[Revel]

They had better quarantene these guys for for two weeks before they allow them to come. They could be carriers of the SARS virus.

[LibertyGrrrl]

As a 1/2 Korean and 100% American, I can only say that the western media bias in favor of the protestors is outrageous! I watch Korean evening news (in Korean) and the majority of the people of South Korea are supportive of the US. My father served 26 years in the military (GO ARMY!) and he has repeatedly conveyed to me that ROK were probably one of the best trained soldiers he has ever worked along side. Funny, my uncle (also married to a Korean) mentioned a similar PX story in 'Nam but he said their "interrogation" of POWs more than made up for it. Not exactly sure what he meant by that...

[AmericanInTokyo]

South Korean Embassy in D.C.

Here is an e mail of the main contact point for the KICC center inside the embassy. It should be sufficient.

eungsoohan@hotmail.com

[willyboyishere]

I've never seen that picture before, with the dejected Daschle and the American flag behind him. Its profound phoniness puts any staged "Clinton moment" to shame.

[Right Angler]

This is truly good news!

I shouldn't bring this up, but did anyone else notice that one of the Millenium Democratic Party members was named "Jong Bum-goo"? Wow, that's an unfortunate name!

[TheLion]

Too bad Tommy and his gang have nothing to offer except fear of what Republicans are up to.......sad.