S. Korean president pays surprise visit to troops in Iraq

South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to the ``Zaytun Unit'' in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil on his way back home from his European tour to encourage the South Korean troops stationed there.

During his two-hour stay in the military compound, he met with the 3,700 Korean soldiers over breakfast and praised their efforts for peace and rehabilitation in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

Roh's visit to Iraq, codenamed "Tongbang (Eastern) Operation,"' was kept secret even from journalists and most presidential aides accompanying him for security reasons until after the chartered plane departed a Paris airport for Seoul at 8 p.m.

Presidential secretary for public relations Lee Byung-wan said the visit had been planned before the start of Roh's trip to Europe but was kept confidential for security reasons.

About 30 minutes after takeoff, Roh came down from the First Class cabin to make the surprise announcement to reporters that their arrival in Seoul would be delayed by about seven hours as he was going to visit Irbil via Kuwait.

Roh flew about 830 kilometers from Kuwait's Al Mubarak air base to the Kurdish-controlled Iraqi town by a South Korean Air Force transport plane, and was received by Maj. Gen. Hwang Eui-don, commander of the Zaytun Unit.

Roh received a briefing from Hwang about the general situation in Irbil and the unit's operations. He also made a visit to the Zaytun Hospital run by Korean soldiers and met with some 50 residents living in the Korea Center within the military compound.

Having had hundreds of military engineers and medics here since last year, Seoul sent an additional 3,000 soldiers this autumn, making South Korea the third-largest troop contributor in the U.S.-led coalition following Britain.

Despite the fierce opposition from some antiwar activists and civic groups, the Roh administration has been making efforts to extend Zaytun's presence in Iraq for another year, and the move is likely to be approved by the National Assembly.

Source: Agencies