Peacekeeping: February 2, 2004

Archives

South Korea is sending 3,000 peacekeepers to Iraq in April and is being thorough about their preparations. A call for volunteers who could speak Arabic drew 25 officers and 21 enlisted troops willing to serve as interpreters. All have degrees in Arab language and most have spent some time in Arab countries. Seven professors of Arabic (and one of Farsi, Iran's language) have been brought in to improve the interpreters language skills. Not having to depend so much on Iraqi interpreters will reduce the security risks. Anti-coalition Iraqis have been bribing Iraqi interpreters to provide them with information. The 3,000 man South Korean force will join 440 South Korean troops (engineers and medical personnel) already in Iraq. The South Korean troops are going to Iraq at the request of the United States, and this caused a lot of popular opposition in South Korea. The younger generation of South Koreans, who remember nothing of the 1950-53 Korean War, are now the majority of the population. It has become fashionable to blame the United States as the cause of the continued division of Korea into north and south. Still, many South Korean career soldiers were eager to serve in Iraq, as it's as close as they are likely to get to a real war, unless North Korea finally attacks. There's also a sense of competition with the U.S. Army, which has had troops stationed in South Korea since 1945. The quality of equipment and training in the South Korea has rapidly increased since the end of the Cold War. Many South Korean military professionals want to show that, in a combat situation, they can do whatever the Americans can.

 


Article Archive

Peacekeeping: Current 2021 2020 2019 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close