Assembly passes bill to send Afghan troops

The National Assembly yesterday passed a bill to send up to 350 troops to war-torn Afghanistan during a plenary session despite fierce protests from opposition parties.

Of the 163 lawmakers attending the session, 148 voted in favor of the plan to deploy the troops for 30 months from July 1 to protect some 120 Korean civilian aid workers in the northern province of Parwan. Five voted against it and 10 threw in blank ballots.

The Defense Ministry aims to select the soldiers who will be sent on the mission next month, from the new troops in April and send the first group to the location in early June.

Four opposition parties - Democratic Party, Democratic Labor Party, New Progressive Party and the Renewal of Korea Party - protested the government`s plan with some boycotting the voting session, citing security concerns.

They also said the government is going against a promise made earlier in 2006 that the Korean troops would completely withdraw from the country.

Korea has banned travel to Afghanistan since the Taliban murdered two Koreans that were on a missionary trip in 2007.

(sharon@heraldm.com)



By Cho Ji-hyun