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]

OK. So they aren't Combat Troops and it isn't all-together 'altruistic'.

However, they are needed, they are on the way now, and it was a LANDSLIDE SOUTH KOREAN PARLIAMENTARY VOTE IN FAVOR with a lot of angry leftist de-Genova-type anti-US demonstrators in the Seoul streets dejected, and it is a heck of a lot more than France is doing to support the Good Guys!

E-Mail, Wire, Call, Write the S. Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C. to say "Kamsahamnnida" ("Thanks!")

[JohnHuang2]

Bump!

[kevao]

Yet another country joining our unilateral invasion of Iraq.

[areafiftyone]

See this previous Posting HERE

[hchutch]

Very good news.

If this is unilateral, then Ted Kennedy is sober.

[Gopher Broke]

One month for training??? We are at Baghdad now...the war might be over by then!

How about sending them NOW??

[AmericanInTokyo]

Thanks. Different article but the same development. It is big news in Japan, too. North Korean news has been very quiet. Kim Jong il now having been hidden for nearly 47 days.

[AmericanInTokyo]

One month for training??? We are at Baghdad now...the war might be over by then!

You have not dealt much with Asians in business situations, have you?

You'll need a lot more patience than THAT!! :-)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Anybody have the obligatory photo of sad, dejected Tommy Daschle with word of this development??

[JohnHuang2]

hehehe

[Happygal]

Good news ping

[ladtx]

Good news. I served a year in S. Korea in 77-78. I truly enjoyed it. Even though it was 25 years ago I still believe the Koreans are a good and happy people despite what we get on the news over here covering demonstrators in the streets.

[tiki]

I think they are saying something like: "We get the picture and we are now definitely on your side."

[JohnHuang2]

"I'm deeply, deeply saddened to learn of this," Tommy Daschle (D-Baghdad) told a news conference Wednesday.

[cookcounty]

" Kim Jong il now having been hidden for nearly 47 days."

What? I must have been totally distracted with Iraq. Details, please.

[concerned about politics]

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.

Go figure.

[SamAdams76]

Better late than never, once the fighting is over, we'll need all the help we can get. Also, South Korea might be soon needing our help to deal with the nutcases to their north.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

it isn't all-together 'altruistic'.

I don't really fault them for that. Nations always act in what they perceive to be their best interest. Our job is to convince them that cooperating with us is truly in their best interest.

[concerned about politics]

[bucephalus]

"Good news. I served a year in S. Korea in 77-78. I truly enjoyed it. Even though it was 25 years ago I still believe the Koreans are a good and happy people despite what we get on the news over here covering demonstrators in the streets."

You're absolutely right. That stuff is very superficial. They have been demonstrating like maniacs for most of the past year though. (Seoul, South Korea)