With Allies Like These . . .

I have previously described South Korea’s approach to sending troops to Iraq as study-and-stall. Take a look at this article from today’s Chosun Ilbo:
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The government has chosen Irbil, located in the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq . . . . A high-level government official said Wednesday that the government has tentatively decided that of the two candidate sites — Sulaimaniyah and Irbil — Irbil is better suited for the deployment in terms of is security situation, basing considerations, logistics and reconstruction demands. The government took into consideration both the finding from a recent fact finding team sent to Iraq and U.S. requests.
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What are they choosing a site for, a Miss World pageant? The idea behind the dispatch is to (1) provide security for Iraq, which by definition is needed in places that are not secure now, and (2) to demonstrate Korea’s loyalty as an ally.

South Korea exists because 38,000 American troops died for its security. I’d rather the South Koreans just weaseled out of their deployment completely than play these disingenuous games. After all, you learn who your true friends are when you need them, not when they need you.