Presidential Advisor for National Defense Meets Mayor of Kirkuk
By Anne-Marie Smolski / Townsman Staff

Presidential Advisor for National Defense Kim Hee-sang.

Three months ahead of an additional deployment of South Korean troops to Iraq, Presidential Advisor for National Defense Kim Hee-sang met with the mayor of Kirkuk to nail down the details of the upcoming dispatch. Come this April, some 3,000 South Korean troops will be stationed in Kirkuk, a city in the northern part of Iraq known for its rich oil reserves. The presidential advisor requested full cooperation from the city's mayor Abdul Rahman Mustafa who welcomed the deployment plan.

"I am glad over the South Korean delegation's visit to Kirkuk and I hope the trip is a success." Abdul Rahman Mustafa said.

Local authorities are reportedly looking forward to the dispatch as they believe South Korean soldiers will help establish peace in the region.

Monday's meeting was also attended by tribal leaders and Colonel William Mayville U.S. Commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade which now patrols Kirkuk. The Korean official was given an aerial tour of the city by Colonel Mayville before the meeting during which the two men pledged to continue close cooperation in securing post-war Iraq.

Arirang TV