South Korea cabinet plans to halve troops in Iraq

Seoul, Nov 28: South Korea, which once had the third-largest foreign military presence in Iraq, plans to halve the number of troops it has stationed there, the cabinet decided today.

South Korea plans to cut its current deployment of about 2,300 troops in the northern region of Abril to about 1,100 or 1,200 next year, an official from the prime minister's office said by telephone.

The cabinet also decided to extend the deployment for another year, the official said.

Parliament, which last December cut the troop deployment by a third to 2,300, has final approval of the plan. At one point, South Korea had about 3,600 troops in Iraq, after starting its mission there in 2004.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has consistently backed the Iraq deployment despite lingering opposition from his own liberal Uri Party.

A group of lawmakers, including those from Uri, proposed a resolution in parliament this month calling for a complete pullout of South Korean troops in Iraq.

Reuters