Korea’s Zaytun unit will be out of northern Iraq by the end of the year. With their departure, and increasing security in the rest of Iraq, the nature of the relationship between the local Kurdish government and Korea will change (Kurdish Globe):
The source believes that once Korean troops are gone the relation between Korea and Kurdistan Region will not stay as strong as it is now. But if Kurdistan offers multiple business opportunities to Korean businessmen, relations are likely to remain strong.
“If the KRG [Kurdish Regional Government] thinks only of Korea as a source of donations, Korea cannot continue the relationship,” said the source. “South Korea wants this bilateral relationship to be based on helping each other.”
From reading the bit at the bottom of the article, it seems that the Kurds are happy with what the Koreans have done in their region.
The Korean withdraw is timed well with tomorrow’s V.I. Day:
This victory is further evidenced by the emails I receive from deployed friends stating “I’m bored”. This is so counter to the ones I would get from my soldier (during his first and second deployment) stating “only x number of mortars today”.
We can’t have bored soldiers, can we? Perhaps it really is time to withdraw from Iraq.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I second that notion of Victory in Iraq Day. Now off to find some beer to celebrate with.
I’m really glad Korean soldiers gave a good impression to Kurdistan. I guess we are more civilized than some might think.
Korea had to be dragged kicking and screaming to contribute to the Iraq effort, finally they sent a small number of non-coms to the safest region of the country. And now, they will vie for the spoils as if they were the driving force behind the whole damn thing.
When to business opportunities open up, they’ll make their move to the front of the line faster than an a-juma in a buffet line.
Some things never change.
#3
Of course Korea was reluctant to go to go to Iraq. Why should we be enthusiastic to help, when the US had no business to be in Iraq in the first place. The US gov couldn’t ask us to send combatants because they knew they were in the wrong. If the US was just in their cause I’m sure they would have been more demanding.
Jewook:
Why would some think that the troops “are not civilized”? Examples?
I speak of Korean troops per your post. “We”
Jewook:
“Why should we be enthusiastic to help?”
I don’t know, Jewook….why?
Well Jew-Kook,….
I recall another country that in the early years of the 1950’s was a steaming, stinking shit-hole that seems to have done pretty well over the years thanks to a certain benefactor.
Not only had that certain benefactor removed a long entrenched brutal colonizer from their land, and 5 years later expended great human and economic resources to defend it against communist invasion, but then babysat that struggling democracy for 50+ more years to help see it through.
Gee,…..have ya’ figured it out yet?
Koreans,….are always looking for the free ride, always ready to jump on the wagon as long as they don’t have to pull it. When things go wrong they always look to pin the blame on someone else.
I believe both times the US came to Korea’s rescue, we wanted the help. I don’t recall hearing about Iraqis asking for help. And if the US was so worried about the Iraqi citizens plight of living under tyranny they should have acted much sooner.
That’s a pretty feeble response, you can do better than that…………..
C’mon get your “Han” thing on, and show me what ya’ got.
Whenever there’s fighting or heavy lifting to be done, there’s always a Korean ready to hold your coat and offer advice from the sidelines while you get the job done.
Before we go too far down the “ungrateful Korea” path, let’s remember that Korea did send two combat divisions to Vietnam.
Two combat divisions, a marine brigade, a hospital corps and engineering elements.
Btw… I thought VI day was when Dubya, in his flight jump suit, landed on an air craft carrier back in May of 2003.
Oh…. and 5,000 casualties…
Are there any Korean troops in Afghanistan?
And those Korean soldiers were paid in US dollars, much of which went into government coffers. Park Chung-hee didn’t send Korean men and women to kill the Vietnamese out of the goodness of his heart.
Ummm…. they weren’t paid as much as American troops, not that that’s important. As Denzel Washington’s character in Glory said, “$10 a month [white troops were getting $13 a month]! Well, a black man can stop a bullet just as well as a white man.”
I didn’t say they were, Wangkon. I said they were paid in US currency.
#15
They weren’t sent to kill anyone but the Viet Cong and the NVA – those aren’t synonymous with “Vietnamese”.
Actually, jewook’s response to your racist attack showed great strength – strength of character, that is.
As I was saying about the borg in the Madagascar thread:
You can find many articles like this by Googling. A few things to note: First, what the fuck is the “Kurdish regional government”? Nothing, that’s what. The region has gotten itself some autonomy while the rest of Iraq is in the shit, but sooner or later someone in Baghdad is gonna say “You fuckers get back in line. There is only ONE government in Iraq, and it ain’t you, and you have no authority to be signing agreements.” Notice that Shell, Exxon, BP haven’t signed any deals with the Kurds. They’re waiting until Iraq has a real central government, and they don’t want to piss off whoever that might be by enriching the Kurds in the meantime. When Baghdad asserts control, all agreements with the Kurds will be nullified.
Second, as stated before in my Madagascar rumor-mongering, the cut/paste above tells a clear tale of Korean government-led resource-hunting in regions where modern companies from advanced nations dare not go. Following the gov’t will the Korean construction companies, taking contracts for power plants, sewage plants, etc.
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