S. Korea Eyes Expanding Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Senior official of Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has returned from a three-day on-site survey in Afghanistan on expanding Seoul's civilian reconstruction team there, the ministry said Friday.
The visit coincided with the inauguration of the Obama administration, which wants South Korea and other allies to share burdens on its anti-terrorism campaign worldwide.
Reports have said the United States asked South Korea to deploy troops to the war-torn nation again through unofficial diplomatic channels.
According to a press release, Lee Yong-jun, assistant deputy foreign minister visited Afghanistan for Jan. 21-23 and met with senior Afghan officials, including deputy foreign minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi and home affairs minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar.
They discussed reconstruction projects in Afghanistan and others needed in the future, it said.
Lee also visited the U.S. Bagram Air Base, where a group of South Korea reconstruction officials, belonging to the NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), is conducting humanitarian and rehabilitation operations.
``Lee's visit was mainly aimed at assessing the local situations and potential expansion of Seoul's PRT team,'' a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The official dismissed speculation that the visit would have something to do with South Korea's redeployment of troops.
The Seoul government has provided troops and financial aid to the security of Afghanistan since 2002. More than 300 medics and engineers of the Dongui and Dasan units carried out humanitarian and reconstruction operations before their pullout in December 2007.
Between 2002 and 2008, the country donated some $66 million to help reconstruct the terrorism-ridden nation. Last year, South Korea agreed to provide $30 million worth of additional assistance to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2011.
Major projects backed by South Korea include providing Afghan people job training, as well as construction of job training centers, hospitals, schools and power plants, ministry officials said.
After withdrawal of troops in 2007, South Korea has been contributing to Afghan reconstruction efforts by joining the PRT. The team is an administrative unit for international aid to Afghanistan and Iraq, consisting of civilians and military specialists who perform small construction projects or provide security for others involved in aid and reconstruction work.
Currently, a total of 53 South Korea PRT staff are based in the Bagram base and providing medical support to locals, according to the release. The Korean team opened a hospital in June last year and about 70 locals are treated there a day, it said.
The government is considering increasing the number of the Korean PRT up to 300.