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.