Zaytun unit leaves legacy of Iraqi ties

IRBIL, Iraq - A long sojourn in the world’s most dangerous country ended yesterday for some 500 Korean soldiers. The Zaytun unit in Irbil, a city in northern Iraq, bid farewell as their mission officially came to a close. Zaytun troops, top Korean military commanders, the U.S.-led multinational corps and Iraqi government officials celebrated the unit’s official final day in the posting.

Zaytun has been involved in post-conflict community reconstruction efforts in the region for the past four years and three months. Its noncombat mission initially drew intense criticism at home as many civic groups said its deployment was indirectly aiding the U.S.-led Iraq War, which they said lacked legitimacy, amid international opposition.

Zaytun soldiers offered classes for local women and children, job training courses in Kurdish, by employing local teachers, and medical services at a hospital they helped build. They also helped maintain the town’s security situation. The soldiers also taught local police taekwondo, marksmanship and anti-terrorism tactics.

The Zaytun unit had a reputation for forging close ties with Iraqis. The unit’s classes in electronics repair, auto maintenance, baking and other essential job skills became so popular among locals that seven people applied for every opening.

The classes also helped license seven Iraqi women to drive heavy machinery, which is highly unusual in the conservative, male-dominated society. More than 2,299 Iraqis completed the courses.

The unit, which ran classes for some 7,200 people each year, also built a community library in October this year, along with some 280 community installations including a medical center, town hall, schools and water supply facilities.

The hospital treated more than 88,000 servicemen, Iraqis and Korean expatriates in the region.

About 19,000 Korean soldiers have served in Zaytun, Korea’s biggest overseas military mission since the Vietnam War, each year. The number dwindled down to some 500 as the unit prepared for its subsequent departure. Korea’s National Assembly extended the unit’s operation four times after requests from the international community.

“Korean parents wasted no time sending their beloved sons and daughters because we overcame the aftermath of the Korean War with the help of the United States and our allies from the United Nations,” Kim Joong-ryeon, a navy vice admiral and deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during the ceremony yesterday.

The Zaytun unit is expected to donate some 18,000 pieces of equipment and other military materiel to the regional government on Dec. 3 before its entire unit flies home on around Dec. 20.

By Lee Young-jong JoongAng Ilbo [hawon@joongang.co.kr]