S. Korean troops ready for possible Afghan mission: minister

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense chief said Friday that his
military is readying for "any request" from the government to provide assistance
to Afghanistan.
"The military is making preparations to meet every demand from the government,"
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told lawmakers, adding South Korea needs to make
appropriate contributions as an ally to the United States.
"The government will decide whether to dispatch troops, and the military is
reviewing how to carry out any government decision," Kim said.
He reaffirmed that the U.S. has not directly requested that Seoul dispatch troops
to Afghanistan, apparently due to understanding of the political reality here.
Kim said the government is comprehensively reviewing its future contributions
including financial support, expansion of civilian-led Provincial Reconstruction
Team (PRT), and sending personnel to protect the PRT members.
"The government is considering national interest, public opinion, and
international trends," he said.
South Korea pulled its 200-strong construction and medical units out of
Afghanistan in 2007. It has since dispatched about a two dozen civilian workers
to help reconstruction of the war-wracked country.
Seoul said it would increase the number of the PRT workers to around 90 by the
end of this year and build a large-scale hospital and job-training center inside
the U.S. Air Force Base in Bagram, north of Kabul.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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