Ruling and opposition party lawmakers on the parliamentary defense committee have shown opposing views over whether to extend the deployment of a Korean military unit in the United Arab Emirates by another year to the end of 2013.
The Akh unit comprising about 130 special warfare troops has been stationed in the UAE since January 2011 to help train soldiers of the Persian Gulf state. The Defense Ministry recently submitted a bill asking for the parliamentary approval of the extension of the unit’s deployment period, which is to expire at the end of this year.
There seems to be no reason that the issue should become another subject of partisan wrangling. We see no serious problem with keeping the unit ― named after an Arab word meaning brothers ― in the UAE for one more year. The prolonged deployment in compliance with the wish of the UAE government will help further boost military cooperation and friendly ties between the two countries. Supporting the efforts of the UAE, considered the safest and most stable state in the Middle East, to strengthen its defense posture would not harm but contribute to the regional security.
A member of the main opposition Democratic United Party said in last week’s session of the defense committee that his party would block the passage of the bill and seek to slash the budget for the unit’s operation. He argued the Akh unit had been dispatched for no sensible reason but to help win a nuclear power plant deal with the UAE and that it now has no more mission to carry out.
It was the crown prince of the UAE who asked Seoul to dispatch a unit of military trainers after he was impressed by the martial demonstration of Korean special warfare troops during his visit here in 2010. If the UAE government wants the unit to continue to be stationed, it has a clear mission to implement. The DUP lawmaker’s argument that the dispatch of the unit was related to facilitating the nuclear power plant deal does not make sense as the contract was sealed in 2009.
Ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers on the committee advocated the need to prolong the deployment, particularly pointing out the huge economic deals Korea has concluded with the UAE in recent years.
During 2009-11, Korean companies won 47 trillion won ($43.5 billion) worth of projects to build nuclear power stations, industrial plants and other infrastructure facilities in the UAE. A Korean consortium signed a contract with the UAE in March to develop three oil fields in the Middle East country.
Under a bilateral agreement set to be signed in December, UAE soldiers and their family members will be able to receive medical treatment at major hospitals in Seoul, starting from next year. A separate program launched in November last year to offer private patients from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, opportunities to be treated at Seoul hospitals has been run successfully.
Experts estimate Korea is poised to reap up to 150 trillion won in economic benefits from a broad range of deals with the UAE.
Extending the Akh unit’s deployment is needed not simply from economic consideration but to make a due response to the UAE’s keen interest in strengthening partnership with Korea, which its rulers regard as a model for the Arab state’s future development.
Koreans need to be more positive toward the roles assumed by their troops dispatched abroad. Currently, Korea has some 1,440 soldiers stationed in 15 countries, mostly in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Haiti, the UAE and the seas off Somalia. While most of the missions are devoted to helping keep peace and promote reconstruction work, the unit in the UAE is characterized as a new form of dispatch aimed at boosting military cooperation through assistance in training soldiers.
Some DUP officials have reacted negatively to the party moving to block the bill on extending the UAE deployment. Their stance certainly suits the widespread public sentiment regarding the issue.
