S. Korean troops to Afghanistan likely to be in hundreds: defense official

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's deputy defense minister said Monday the
number of troops his country sends to Afghanistan will likely be in the "several
hundreds," dismissing speculation more than a thousand could be deployed to help
reconstruction efforts there.

South Korea plans to send troops to protect a group of civilians helping the
Central Asian country where the U.S. is fighting an insurgency.
Some South Korean media have speculated the number could be as high as 2,000,
raising criticism that the U.S. has pressured its ally to help fight what many
view here as an American war.
Speaking at a parliamentary hearing, Vice Defense Minister Chang Soo-man said the
troop size has yet to be finalized but is unlikely to reach a thousand.
"I don't think it will be in the thousands. The scale will be in the several
hundreds," he said.
The Seoul government said last week after a weeklong fact-finding mission that it
is considering setting up a camp for soldiers and civilian workers in a northern
Afghan province.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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