(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea puts all options on table for future Afghan role: minister

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister said Wednesday that his
country is seeking various ways to expand its role in Afghanistan, hinting
military contributions may be considered in the future, but not now.

"The government is seeking appropriate ways to contribute in consideration of
local needs, relevant conditions and our capacity," Yu Myung-hwan said in an
interview with Yonhap News Agency. "We would like to leave all possibilities
open."
The minister pointed out that the size of South Korea's donation to post-war
Afghanistan is too small and superficial for the world's 12th-largest economy.
Seoul contributed US$68 million from 2003-2008 and plans to provide additional
$33 million by 2011.
Yu said that South Korea is willing to mull all options if needed, but that a
military role is not preferred.
"We can't play a big military role there, given the command system and language
barrier," he said.
He refused to elaborate on whether South Korea will consider re-dispatching
troops if the incoming U.S. administration asks for it. "It is a sensitive
issue," he said.
South Korea withdrew about 200 military medics and engineers from Afghanistan at
the end of last year, ending its six-year mission just months after 23 South
Korean missionaries were kidnapped by the Taliban. Two of the hostages were
executed, while the rest were released following Seoul's reaffirmed promise to
withdraw its troops from the country by the end of the year as scheduled. A South
Korean soldier was also killed in a terrorist bombing in February last year in
Bagram, about 80km north of Kabul.
To make up for the troop pullout, South Korea has maintained a civilian-led
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), composed of about two dozen medical staff
and vocational training experts in the region.
Yu said the Afghan issue is on the list of items on which South Korea should
closely cooperate with the Obama government.
"Taking lessons from the past, there could be a big gap in our priority and that
of the Obama government," he said. "A mismatch would lead to an awkward
situation."
Many remember the different approaches by the Bush administration and South
Korea's two previous liberal governments in dealing with North Korea. A similar
mismatch occurred in the 1990s between the Democratic government of Bill Clinton
and its conservative South Korean counterpart.
The minister said the government will take time in coordinating policy with the
incoming U.S. administration on North Korea.
"We will have to take into account the timing of the first summit," he said. "Its
outcome is more important than scheduling the summit one or two months after
(Obama's) inauguration."
On the issue of ratifying the agreed-upon free trade pact, which many expect to
become a main sticking point between the allies, Yu reiterated opposition to any
renegotiation or additional talks.
"It is not desirable to again negotiate the contents already signed, as it may
harm the interests and balance of the entire negotiations," he said.
South Korea's opposition parties argue South Korea should wait on the
ratification to see how the U.S. administration and Congress decide to handle the
FTA.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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