Army holds send-off ceremony for 140 special troops bound for UAE

SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Army held a send-off ceremony Thursday for some 140 elite troops set to leave for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to replace its military contingent tasked with training the Middle East nation's special forces, officials said. The South Korean unit "Akh," which means brother in Arabic, has been based in the eastern region of Al Ain in the UAE since January this year, after a South Korean consortium won a US$20 billion deal in late 2009 to build nuclear reactors in the oil-rich country. The replacement unit included 17 Navy elite commandos, some of whom participated in a daring raid in January on a hijacked ship in the Arabian Sea. The Jan. 21 operation rescued the South Korean-operated Samho Jewelry, an 11,500-ton freighter hijacked by Somali pirates and its 21 crew members, killing eight pirates and capturing five others. The UAE asked South Korea to send the Navy commandos after the raid, military officials said. During the ceremony, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Sang-ki told the troops that, "I hope you can help increase the national status of the Republic of Korea by carrying out your duties faithfully." The replacement of the unit, the second of its kind, will take place on Tuesday, the Army said.