Seoul Mulls Sending Peacekeepers to Haiti
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The government is considering dispatching peacekeeping forces to earthquake-hit Haiti in a bid to help relief activities and maintain public order, a government official said Tuesday.
The move comes after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution calling on member states to send additional police and soldiers, at the request of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Any government plan to send peacekeepers abroad is subject to approval by the National Assembly.
The administration has also decided to send medical workers to Haiti.
"As calls for maintaining public order are growing there, the U.N. is asking its member states to send more troops," the official said, requesting anonymity.
"As part of efforts to join in international relief efforts, the government has begun to review the dispatch plan."
The U.N. is asking each member country to send 1,500 police and 2,000 soldiers to Haiti, he said.
The Ministry of National Defense will first evaluate local demands and the forces needed to support the mission, he said.
"The exact number of troops will be determined after the review," the official said.
Currently, about 9,000 soldiers and police are helping keep public order under the U.N. Stabilization Mission in the Caribbean nation.
Korea currently has a combined 401 troops stationed in Lebanon and some other disputed areas.
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said in late December that Korea plans to organize 1,000 troops for U.N. peacekeeping operations (PKO) this year.
The National Assembly late last year passed a bill that allows the government to begin discussions on sending peacekeepers abroad with the U.N. without parliamentary endorsement.
Even though the bill has yet to come into effect, another government source said the administration will have no problem sending peacekeeping troops since all lawmakers share the view that Korea should join in international relief efforts.
A day earlier, the government announced plans to offer $10 million in aid to earthquake victims in the Caribbean country in cooperation with non-governmental organizations.
Of that money, $2.5 million will be spent for emergency relief and about $5 million will be used for long-term projects such as restoring power grids and water supply, a ministry official said.
Officials at government offices and NGOs such as the Korean National Red Cross and the Federation of Korean Industries met Tuesday to discuss how to distribute relief goods.