The U.S. government had asked the Korean government to send troops to assist its “war on terror” following the September 11 attacks in 2001. Despite its uncomfortable relationship with Washington, the Roh Moo-hyun administration decided on the troop deployment even as it faced opposition from the ruling party. If Korea did not value its alliance with Washington, then it would not have deployed so many troops. Even when bilateral relations had worsened to the point of rumors of a split in the Seoul-Washington alliance, the relationship did not crumble due largely to Korea’s troop deployment. Whenever he met the Korean leader, U.S. President George W. Bush thanked him for the troop deployment.

The Zaytun Unit flawlessly completed its mission of maintaining order in northern Iraq. As part of its peace and reconstruction mission, it built around 280 facilities in the Kurdish region, including libraries, schools and town halls. Since May 2005, the unit trained over 2,000 Iraqis in skills like auto repair, baking and the handling of heavy machinery. The unit also built a hospital that treated 88,805 local residents.

Ahead of the withdrawal of Korean troops, the unit donated to the Kurdish autonomous government around 18,000 items it used at the base. While around 400 global businesses participated in reconstruction projects, the Korea National Oil Corporation won a major oil development project in the Kurdish region in September of this year and took on a US$2.1 billion infrastructure project due in large part to the achievements of the Zaytun Unit.

The 51 months the Zaytun Unit spent in Iraq was an excellent experience for Korea, with the unit’s contribution befitting the country’s status in the international community. Korea’s status and influence in the world grow with experiences such as this.