By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea wants to lengthen the deployment period of peacekeepers in Lebanon from the current 12 months to 18 months to help facilitate more successful and stable operations, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade submitted a related proposal to the National Assembly late last month, it said.
The Cabinet approved the proposal to extend the deployment of the 350-strong Dongmyeong unit by 18 months through December next year.
Under a 2008 motion, the unit stationed in southern Lebanon as part of the U.N. Interim Forces in the Middle East country (UNIFIL) was to have ended its mission this July. More than 13,000 troops from 30 countries, including Italy, Spain and India, are participating in UNIFIL operations.
The South Korean contingent was first deployed to Lebanon in July 2007 to help oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and ensure the stability of the central Lebanese government in the area.
The unit conducts not only reconnaissance and surveillance operations, but also community outreach activities under the operation name ``Peace Wave.'' They include the reconstruction of schools and public facilities, and medical and educational programs.