Go to contents

Gov’t Approves Elite Forces Deployment to UAE

Posted November. 10, 2010 11:27,   

한국어

The Cabinet approved Tuesday a bill to send up to 150 elite troops to the United Arab Emirates to help train UAE special forces from January next year through December 2012.

The plan is to send the troops to a special forces academy in Abu Dhabi to provide training for UAE special forces, conduct combined exercises, and protect Korean nationals there in the event of a crisis. The bill will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval after getting President Lee Myung-bak’s endorsement.

The Cabinet also approved a bill for a one-year extension of the deployment of Korea’s Cheonghae troops to pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia. In a Cabinet meeting, members reportedly urged increased international cooperation to devise effective measures to cope with piracy.

The main opposition Democratic Party opposed the deployment, however. Spokeswoman Jeon Hyun-heui told a news briefing that the dispatch cannot guarantee the safety of young soldiers and urged the government to cancel the plan.



will71@donga.com