South Korean troops prepare to leave Iraq

ERBIL, Iraq, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The prime minister of Kurdistan bid farewell Wednesday to South Korean troops who will wind up their operations in Iraq at the end of December.

Nechirvan Barzani and South Korean Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Joong-ryun presided over a farewell ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, for the Zaytun division of the South Korean military forces.

Zaytun, which means "olive" in Arabic, has been deployed in Iraq for four years, offering vocational training and other reconstruction activities in the Kurdish region as part of the U.S.-led multinational force.

Around 3,600 South Korean troops were sent to Iraqi in 2004, but their numbers have dwindled to about 520. The South Korean division is part of a growing number of countries withdrawing their forces from Iraq as the U.N. mandate for the international military action in Iraq expires Dec. 31.

In his farewell address to the Zaytun division, Barzani thanked the troops for their support and continued friendship with the people of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Regional Government said in a statement.

"We see possibilities for our future in the history of Korea," the premier said. "Let us look to Korea's experience as a shining example of development in economic, technological and social sectors."

For his part, Kim praised the stability witnessed in the Kurdish region in the wake of military operations in the country.

"We are sure that a magnificent house will be built upon this foundation, a house that the entire world will recognize and envy," Kim said.