Wolfowitz, “Dispatching Troops Will Benefit the Korean National Interests”

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz made his opinion clear on October 2, “It is not proper to conclude that dispatching the Korean troops is related to the North Korean nuclear issue and the Korean peninsular security.”

Wolfowitz attended the Armed Forces Day reception and the foundation day of Korea at the official residence of the Korean ambassador to the U.S. and said, “We discuss with Korea about issues related to the troops dispatch to Iraq closely and candidly, and if the Korean troop dispatch can be realized, it will contribute to the national benefit of both Korea and Iraq. “

He added, “Korean troops are excellent in mobility and are trained well. We think Korean troops could play an important role in recovering Iraq after the war and to the stability of Iraq, so we are asking for Korea to send in troops.”

However, he avoided answering specifically about the scale of dispatch troops that the U.S. is asking from Korea and the time of dispatch troops, saying, “Those issues are not ones that the U.S. can mention. “

Meanwhile, Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, said, “The position of the U.S. on additional dispatch troops is that each country should perform their duties according to their circumstances.”

He explained, “Now there are military forces from 32 countries in Iraq, and the U.S. has discussed with about 10-12 countries about the issue of dispatching additional troops.”

maypole@donga.com