S. Korea and Japan vow to send troops to Iraq

S. Korea and Japan vow to send troops to Iraq

Reuters, Tokyo/Seoul

Japan and South Korea voiced determination on Monday to proceed with sending troops to Iraq despite weekend killings of several of their nationals there and popular doubts about taking part in the operation.

Neither of the two North Asian nations plans to send large numbers of soldiers or to take part in combat operations, but their participation marks an important step for the U.S.-led coalition forces in persuading more countries to join.

Two Japanese diplomats were killed in an ambush on Saturday en route to a reconstruction conference in the northern town of Tikrit while two South Korean electrical workers died in a shooting also near the city that is the hometown of deposed president Saddam Hussein.

They were among a dozen people from four U.S.-allied nations killed in weekend attacks, sparking new concern among Washington's allies about the risks of getting involved in Iraq.

"There is no change in our stance," said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, re-elected last month but who must balance the demands of security ties with the United States with the concerns of voters before Upper House elections in July.

"We must not be daunted by the intention of terrorists to halt the reconstruction effort and cause confusion," he said.

He gave no clue as to when troops might be sent.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta said in a press release on Monday that Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi had canceled a planned visit to Jakarta.

Kawaguchi was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

South Korea would go ahead with plans to deploy more troops in Iraq despite the shooting of four South Korean civilians on Sunday, Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan told a briefing.

"The issue of the troop deployment plan to Iraq will not be affected and there is no change to our original plan," said Yoon, who is a member of South Korea's National Security Council and attended an emergency session earlier.

He said it was still not clear whether the South Korean victims -- two killed and two wounded -- had been specifically targeted because of Seoul's support for the U.S.-led force in Iraq.

"Despite the tragic incident, we will not yield to violence or killings," the Foreign Ministry said. "We will continue to participate in humanitarian aid to Iraq and reconstruction efforts."

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun condemned the shootings.

"This incident is not terror against the military or a public organization but terror against civilians," Roh told his aides. "This kind of inhumane activity is intolerable."

Many South Koreans disagree with sending more troops, and opposition has grown since the latest spate of attacks.

In Japan, a poll published on Monday showed most Japanese were opposed to sending troops, at least until security improves.

Most of the 1,036 who replied to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper poll did so before news of the diplomats' deaths. Just nine percent of those who responded favored sending troops soon.