S.Korea cuts Iraq troops by a third to 2,300

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's parliament approved a bill on Friday to cut by about one third the size of its troop deployment in Iraq, the third-largest foreign contingent there.

The unicameral National Assembly voted by 110 to 31 to extend the country's troop deployment in the northern Iraqi region of Arbil by one year until the end of 2006 but cut the contingent to 2,300 from 3,200. Seventeen members abstained.

The United States has the largest contingent of foreign troops in Iraq and Britain the second largest.

The country's commitment to its alliance with the United States was a key reason for extending the mission, the government-submitted bill said.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051230/wl_nm/iraq_korea_dc

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051230-122258-7289r

South Korea to withdraw troops from Iraq

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- South Korea plans to withdraw 1,000 of its 3,200 troops stationed in Iraq, but those remaining will continue their mission for another year.

The country's national assembly, by a large majority vote, approved the plan for the contingent of troops which is the largest in Iraq after those of the United States and Britain, reports the BBC.

The South Korean public remains sharply divided over the deployment, which was agreed to by the government partly because of the country's close military alliance with the United States.

The South Korean troops are stationed in the Kurdish-controlled town of Irbil, in northern Iraq.