S. Korea seeks to deploy weapon locater, robot in Afghanistan

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to purchase an acoustic weapons
locating system and a military robot to enhance the safety of its troops likely
to be deployed to Afghanistan later this year, a defense official in Seoul said
Tuesday.
The army robot and the hostile artillery locating system will track and protect
troops from roadside bombs, dubbed "improvised explosive devices (IEDs)," the
official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. IEDs are
known as the number one threat in Afghanistan.
"We are currently looking into models made in the United States or Europe, which
will be sharper and of higher-quality than the devices that were deployed for our
troops in Iraq," he said. "I cannot go into any more details for the safety of
our troops."
The U.S. currently operates IED-tracking and -eliminating robots Bobcat and Talon
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The South Korean government, in December, decided to send 320 troops, 40 police
officers and 100 reconstruction team members to war-ravaged Afghanistan in July
this year.
The government's motion, calling for their 29-month deployment, is awaiting
parliamentary approval and is likely to pass with the ruling Grand National Party
controlling a majority of 169 seats in the 298-member unicameral house.
South Korea withdrew its 200-strong team of medics and engineers from Afghanistan
in 2007, ending several years of deployment under the U.S.-led war against
terrorism.
Since 2007, the number of IEDs in Afghanistan has jumped 350 percent, accounting
for more than 70 percent of casualties there, according to recent U.S. reports.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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