Assembly Extends Troop Deployment in Lebanon
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The National Assembly passed a motion to extend the deployment of South Korean peace-keeping troops in Lebanon until the end of next year in a plenary session, Wednesday.
Accordingly, the 360-strong infantry and medical unit based in Tyre, Lebanon, will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance operations there for 18 months more.
The Dongmyeong (East Light) unit's mission was set to expire this weekend.
South Korea dispatched the unit consisting of special forces and engineers to the region located 83 kilometers south of the capital city, Beirut, in 2007 as part of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
A vote on the motion was delayed as the governing Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party engaged in a tug of war over bills that will reshape the media industry and address the issue of temporary workers.