By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff reporter
South Korea's provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Afghanistan will begin its official mission in Parwan Province in a commencement ceremony there today.
The team, including civilian workers, police officers and troops, will help reconstruct the war-torn area through medical, health and vocational training and rural development assistance, a foreign ministry official said.
A send-off ceremony for troops to protect civilian aid workers took place at a military base in Incheon, Wednesday.
The troops are the main part of the 321-member "Ashena" unit tasked with guarding Korean reconstruction workers. The aid team will be composed of 90 reconstruction workers and 40 police officers.
The team will dispatch experts to the state government for technical assistance and invite state officials to visit Korea, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The National Assembly approved a motion to send more PRT members and troops to protect them to Afghanistan last February.