(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on June 24)

Dispatch of troops

Days after President Lee Myung-bak returned from his summit with U.S. President
Obama, a mild spat developed between the presidential office and the conservative
opposition Liberty Forward Party over what exactly the two leaders exchanged in
their private talks, particularly regarding the United States' wish to have Korea
send troops to Afghanistan. The argument exposed a problem the president now has
in his quest for building the firmest-ever ties with Washington.

Cheong Wa Dae had initially reported that the issue was "not on the table" at the
June 16 talks. But, after a spokesperson for the LFP revealed the contents of the
conversation between its leader Lee Hoi-chang and the president at a Cheong Wa
Dae meeting on Saturday, presidential aides admitted that there was a brief
exchange on the question of whether to dispatch troops.
The LFP said President Lee told the party head that Obama asked Seoul to send
troops to Afghanistan and that the president responded by indicating a possible
peace-keeping operation by Korean military personnel. Risking a breach of
diplomatic protocol, Cheong Wa Dae revealed an as yet unannounced part of the
summit: Obama suggested Korea make the decision on its own, as it was
inappropriate for the United States to make the request "in view of (Seoul's)
political realities," and President Lee offered an expansion of the peace and
reconstruction projects which the previous administration had started.
Thus we now understand that the stronger alliance the two leaders recently
pledged to counter North Korean nuclear threats requires Seoul's involvement in
the war in Afghanistan in whatever form possible. However, having withdrawn its
300-strong engineering and medical service contingents late in 2007, President
Lee will face serious political challenges if he chooses to positively respond to
Washington's request. Sending combatants to the embattled country is out of the
question for the time being.
The Defense Ministry is reported to have been preparing for a battalion-strength
contingent consisting of trainers and engineers plus some infantry guards. Yet,
as President Obama has reportedly observed from Washington, it is not a favorable
time for the administration to seek National Assembly consent for sending troops
overseas. To pass the motion, the government and the ruling party would have to
make considerable concessions to the opposition in their legislative plans, such
as the crucial revisions to media laws and the finance-industry separation law.
President Lee has no choice but to seek to earn more time before taking any
concrete steps. Still, in view of the "new alliance vision" between Korea and the
United States and Seoul's growing international obligations as a major economic
power, the government cannot indefinitely delay its decision. Swift
implementation of Korea's commitment of $74 million for civilian reconstruction
projects in Afghanistan may be an alternative for now.
In the meantime, the president has to make sincere efforts to persuade political
and civic groups about the inevitability of joining the global war on terror.
(END)