History: Sending Troops to Iraq.

The Article That Started it All.

For the next few postings, I am going to focus my attention more on older, more historical articles. That is articles which either created sensations at the time or created the bases for positions that eventually other newsgroups took.

The article which was published in Monthly Chosun's May 2004 issue, was followed by far longer article recommending the deployment of troops into Iraq (Eventually, South Korea deployed the Zaytun Division, a 3,800 men non-combatant formation until 2008). If I were to summarize the supporting reasons behind the article, it was in two reasons. First was the argument that sending troops was beneficial to maintaining the Military Alliance between the America and South Korea (one of the conservative Holy Grail). Second was that sending troops were essential after death of Kim Sun Il, a Korean who was murdered in Iraq (and whose death led to brief surge of Anti-Iraqi feelings in Korea), to show resolve. Finally (although more muted at the time), was the argument that without sending troops, it would be impossible to secure the lucrative oil contract in Postwar Iraq (earlier article in the blog dealt with what happened to that boondoggle).

Aside from the controversy of sending troops into Iraq at all (after all the 2003 Iraq War, like in many other parts of the Globe, was hardly popular one in Korea), the controversy was in the reasoning behind it. These two articles from the liberal Hankyoreh give succinct summery of refutation. First, South Korea had no obligation neither in national interest or moral one, to send troops. Second, sending troops will only ensure greater exacerbation of bad impression between Iraq's neighbors and South Korea. But underlying all this was the Korean left's discomfort, since Korea once had its sovereignty stripped away from it, and ill-defined scene of kinship pervaded the articles.

Eight long years have passed since the publication of these articles. South Korean Troops has left Iraq. The country never got the oil contracts, the two papers which dueled are in still at each other's throats.But the central view of looking at Middle East has not changed. The conservatives are convinced in economic opportunity for Korea in the region and maintaining America's good triumphs morality (or is morality). While liberals still see eerily shadows of our own past.