Army to send 360 replacement troops to Lebanon

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- The Army said it held a ceremony Monday to mark the
planned deployment of nearly 360 soldiers who will replace compatriots serving as
U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon in the coming weeks.
The replacement, which the Army said will take place in two stages in late July
and early August, will mark the fourth deployment of troops to the Middle Eastern
country since South Korea sent its first group in July 2007.
South Korea's National Assembly passed a motion on July 15 to extend the
deployment as part of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern
city of Tyre until the end of next year.
The ceremony was held at the Army Special Forces Command, located south of Seoul,
drawing Army Chief of Staff Lim Choung-bin and the families of the 391
peacekeepers, the Army said in a release.
The South Korean military unit, called "Dongmyeong (East Light)," conducts
reconnaissance and surveillance operations and also helps in the construction of
schools and other public facilities, and in providing medical and educational
services.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)