S. Korean Marines to take part in U.S.-led peacekeeping drill in Mongolia

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- A platoon of South Korean Marines will participate in a
U.S.-led multinational peacekeeping exercise scheduled for later this month in
Mongolia, an official said Friday.

The decision to send troops to the Aug. 15-25 "Khanquest" comes as South Korea
plans to play a more active role in international peacekeeping operations by
creating a regular unit of troops dedicated to the cause.
A South Korean official who asked not to be named said the platoon will
participate in the exercise along with more than 400 troops deployed from some 20
nations, including Germany, Cambodia and India.
"We have only been an observer in the exercise since 2006, but we think it is
time to step up our role," the official said by phone.
The exercise, jointly launched in 2003 by the United States and Mongolia, focuses
on scouting, mine clearing and dozens of other activities required in a
peacekeeping operation, the official said.
Hundreds of South Korean soldiers are serving in peacekeeping campaigns,
including in Lebanon, where 360 troops have been deployed since 2007.
The country also has a 300-crew destroyer operating under a U.S.-led anti-piracy
campaign in Somali waters.
In June, the government announced it will launch a 3,000-strong military unit
that can readily be deployed to assist peacekeeping operations around the world.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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