Dispatch of peacekeepers to South Sudan under review: military

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The military is reviewing the possibility of dispatching peacekeeping troops to South Sudan to aid reconstruction efforts in the fledgling African nation, military officials said Wednesday.
The move comes about a week after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked South Korea to consider sending peacekeeping troops to South Sudan.
South Sudan officially declared its independence on July 9 from the Arab-dominated north after decades of civil war that claimed 2 million lives. The country became the 193rd member of the United Nations on July 14.
"Regarding Secretary-General Ban's mention of the matter, the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are reviewing the possible dispatch at the working level," a military source said. "The peacekeeping troops would be largely comprised of engineers and medics. We haven't received any official request from the U.N."
The foreign ministry handles the dispatch of peacekeepers, but the source said the military is preparing for Ban's official request, which is expected to come next week when he visits Seoul to attend a forum on education.
A foreign ministry official said it was premature to discuss sending troops to South Sudan, but added, "Once we receive the official request, we will begin a formal review, taking into account our capabilities."
According to a defense ministry official, the ongoing review is covering the size of the PKO unit, its makeup and other logistical details. He said it may be difficult to secure inland routes to send troops and supplies into South Sudan.
"The U.N. may want us to send about 300," the official said. "But it's not easy to recruit medics."
A military expert at Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) said the world's two great powers, the U.S. and China, may engage in a diplomatic power game over South Sudan.
"If our troops go there, they will have their work cut out for them," the expert said.
South Korea currently has 635 peacekeepers serving in eight global missions, including in such African nations as Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire, while 818 others are serving in separate multinational operations, according to the foreign ministry.