Seoul to risk casualties in keeping troop presence in Afghanistan: minister

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will maintain its troop presence in
Afghanistan even if the forces sustain casualties after their planned deployment
next year, the nation's defense minister said Wednesday.
The defense ministry sent a motion to parliament last week for approval of the
deployment of as many as 350 troops to Afghanistan to protect its civilian
workers helping to reconstruct the Central Asian state.
The motion, which is likely to be passed as the ruling party holds the majority
in the National Assembly, would authorize a deployment from mid-2010 through the
end of 2012 in Parwan Province.
The planned deployment comes amid debate over whether South Korea should take
part in a war that many locals view as an American one. The debate heated up when
the Taliban issued a warning last week threatening the safety of South Korean
soldiers.
Speaking at a meeting with editorial writers from major South Korean news
organizations, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said the troops would stay put even
if there are casualties after deployment.
"This is a matter of national standing, and we would have to overcome" public
criticism that could arise if one or more South Korean soldiers die in an attack,
he said, according to a Yonhap News Agency writer who attended the meeting in
Seoul.
"Damage does not immediately translate into a cause for withdrawal," Kim was
quoted as saying.
The plans for the deployment were announced on Dec. 8, with the Taliban going
public with their threat a day later. The insurgents, believed to be operating
with Al Qaeda, said South Korean troops will face "bad consequences" if they are
deployed.
In a booklet distributed to press officials, the Ministry of National Defense
described the warning as a "conventional" tactic used in psychological warfare.
In line with U.S. plans announced early this month to increase the number of
American troops in Afghanistan by 30,000, member countries of the coalition
forces have also pledged a surge in their deployments.
South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally, says it plans to deploy a regular contingent
of 320 troops, equipped with four helicopters and a drone for reconnaisance
missions. Officials stress the unit will be missioned with protecting South
Korean civilian workers.
South Korea withdrew 200 military medics and engineers from Afghanistan in 2007
after its negotiations to secure the release of 23 South Korean Christian
missionaries held captive by the Taliban.
Two of them were killed, and the rest released. The Taliban say that South Korea
promised not to redeploy troops during the negotiations, a claim dismissed by the
Seoul government.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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