Assembly Panel Endorses Extension of Troop Deployment in Lebanon
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
A National Assembly committee passed a motion Monday to extend the deployment of South Korean troops in Lebanon until the end of next year.
The Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee sent the motion to the plenary floor. A final vote will take place Wednesday.
South Korea dispatched a 360-strong infantry and medical unit to the southern city of Tyre in July 2007 as part of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The unit's mission is set to expire this weekend, but the motion submitted by the government calls for its extension by 18 months.
The contingent, called ``Dongmyeong'' (East Light), conducts reconnaissance and surveillance operations, and helps the daily lives of local residents by building schools and other public facilities and providing medical and education services.