Zaytun Division Totally Explained

Everything about The Zaytun Division totally explained

The Zaytun Division is a contingent of Republic of Korea Army troops currently operating in Northern Iraq, carrying out peacekeeping and reconstruction tasks. There are currently 933 South Korean troops in north-eastern Iraq as of December 2007.

Formation

The Republic of Korea dispatched a small contingent of 600 military medics and engineers (the 'Seohee' and 'Jema' units) to predominantly Shia areas in Southern Iraq in April 2003. The United States government asked South Korea to send additional forces on September 4, 2003. Upon request, Seoul formed the 'Zaytun' Division, which stresses the peace-keeping role of the troops (as zaytun means olive in Arabic). An additional 2,200 troops (mostly engineers) were deployed to Arbil in the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Northern Iraq by early September 2004 and were converged with the humanitarian troops who were relocated from Southern Iraq. The combined unit consisted of 2,800 soldiers. Another 800 soldiers were dispatched to reinforce the existing troops in Arbil in November 2004, thus increasing the size of South Korea's contingent to 3,600.

Timeline & Background

Impassioned opposition to the deployment among both politicians and the public peaked during the captivity of South Korean Kim Sun-il, who was kidnapped on June 17, 2004, and after his execution on June 22, 2004. The incident occurred while the bulk of the Korean contingent was being prepared for its upcoming deployment and triggered a major public debate as to whether they should be sent, involving sometimes violent and vocally anti-American protests.
   On October 10, 2004, a little known Islamist group threatened South Korea in a video posted on an Arabic-language website, promising that they'd 'make Korea suffer' if its troops were not withdrawn within 2 weeks. The warning outlined how Korean troops would be attacked 'one by one' and also that their families would be targeted in Korea itself. About a week beforehand, Ayman al-Zawahiri mentioned South Korea in a list of countries allied to the US that should be targeted by volunteers. Subsequently, Korean embassies were instructed by then Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon to strengthen security.
   Former US Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, travelled to Arbil to visit the Korean troops on October 10, 2004. On his way home from a visit to Paris, President Roh Moo-hyun made a surprise visit to the Zaytun Division in Arbil on December 8. Throughout 2005, South Korea's was the third largest foreign military deployment in Iraq, behind the United Kingdom.
   In early 2006, 1,300 troops were withdrawn following a December 2005 vote by the National Assembly (10-3 with one abstention). Another 1,200 troops were sent home in early 2007, and it was widely assumed that a complete pullout would take place by the beginning of 2008, when the deployment mandate was set to expire. However, on October 23, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun announced that the mandate would be extended for another year, although the size of the contingent will be halved to 600. The decision to yet again renew the mandate came just several weeks away from December elections in South Korea, during which the extremely unpopular military deployment to Iraq was expected to become a significant issue.

Other Details

The main tasks of the South Korean contingent have been to provide medical services and to build and repair roads, power lines, schools and other public infrastructure. The contingent includes a small number of Muslim South Korean soldiers who converted to Islam just before their deployment. The Koreans have suffered only one fatality: an officer who committed suicide on the South Korean base in May 2007. The only other deaths attributed to their presence have been accidents involving both South Korean and Iraqi civilians. South Korea currently has the fifth largest foreign military contingent in Iraq, behind Australia.

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