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South Korea to send `non-combat' troops

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE April 2. South Korea's participation in the U.S.-led war in Iraq became a distinct possibility as the National Assembly in Seoul today endorsed a Government-piloted bill to send "non-combat troops'' to the battle zone. The controversial move was approved by a vote of 179 for and 68 against. With 256 out of the total of 270 legislators being present, nine among them abstained.

The margin of the vote did not, however, reflect the intensity of popular sentiments over this issue on either side of the argument. The voting, which took place today, was originally scheduled more than a week ago. The postponement was caused by the Roh Moo-hyun administration's decision to allow a detailed debate in the context of popular sentiments against the move. South Korea may now send "construction engineers'' and medical personnel, numbering 70, to operate under the U.S. military command in Iraq.

It is not clear whether this number, made public some time ago, would be augmented later.

Though several countries on the Asiatic side of the Asia Pacific Rim support or do not actively oppose the highly controversial U.S. military intervention in Iraq at this time, South Korea is now joining Australia in rushing to Washington's side in a conspicuous fashion. Australia is playing a combat role itself under the U.S. auspices. Even as the political climax over the divisive vote in the National Assembly neared, thousands of anti-war protesters staged rallies near the premises of the legislature in Seoul. According to some civic organisations behind the rallies, the current "U.S. invasion Iraq'' was in reality a "one-sided massacre and not a war'' in a conventional sense of the term.

In their view, any move by South Korea to send even "non-combat troops'' to Iraq in these circumstances would make Seoul "an accomplice to (the) invasion''.

It was against this background that the South Korean President, Roh Moo-hyun, widened the scope of his argument ahead of today's voting in the National Assembly.

He contended that South Korea could hope to reap a strategic dividend by rushing to help the U.S. in Iraq at this juncture. According to him, any `solidification' of the U.S.-South Korea ties could help resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful manner.

For Mr. Roh, the hard-sell on this issue of a pro-U.S. role in the current Iraq war is a matter of reinterpreting his earlier stand of being cautious about America's long-term strategic and political aims across the world.

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