By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
An odd thing about the government's latest decision to send troops to Afghanistan to help out the United States' war against terror is that it has not stirred much opposition.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP), together with a handful of activist organizations, has made their opposition clear but the move has yet to cause demonstrations as in the country's decision to send troops to Iraq.
There isn't even a war of words on the Internet, compared to the previous decision.
The troop dispatch decision comes with a great deal of efforts by the new U.S. administration led by President Barack Obama to build an international consensus, striking a different chord than his predecessor George W. Bush's strong-arm tactic to form a "coalition of the willing." Korea is also no longer unfamiliar with sending troops overseas as part of an international effort, after undergoing a harsh initiation process of sorts when the Iraq dispatch was decided on. Korea sustained no virtual combat casualties during its Iraq operation.
The latest decision has Korea sending a contingent of 500, including 360 troops and police officers. Their mission is to protect civilian workers who will be engaged in reconstruction.
The Cabinet approved the plan Tuesday and the Ministry of National Defense seeks to deploy them next July.
While there hasn't been much opposition, Nanum Munhwa, a group of university students, said the government has forgotten the tragic accidents caused by previous dispatches.
"The government is enforcing the dispatch without the agreement of citizens. Korea has been imprinted as an immoral country, which dispatches troops for the United States, among people of the Middle East," Lee Sang-hoon of the group said on his blog. "Kim Sun-il, a translator, was beheaded; Staff Sgt. Yoon Jang-ho died in a suicide terrorist bombing; and the members of Sammul Church kidnapped during volunteering activities are examples of Koreans being murdered as a result of past dispatches to the Middle East. If Korea sends stronger combat troops to Afghanistan, the national image will become even worse."
Lee also said that he would campaign to stop the dispatch to Afghanistan.
Others agreed that the government's decision was closely tied to the nation's international status.
"Sending a small number of troops is the best choice Korea can make. We cannot refuse the U.S' request and it can be an opportunity to raise national prestige," a netizen nicknamed 9729 said. "Though the U.S. puts their interests as the top priority, they repay what their allies do for them. It might sound cold-hearted, but I admit that deploying troops to Afghanistan could be a sacrifice. However, it will have a benefit in return."
Some were indifferent toward the dispatch. "I did not gain nor lose anything from previous dispatches personally. I don't have any opinion regarding the recent decision to send troops again," said Lee Soo-jin, 28, an office worker.
meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
