SEOUL—From the neon glitz and hip-hop buzz of Korea tensions in the Kurdish regions of Iraq and Turkey seem far removed. Yet with Turkey preparing an invasion of what has been Iraq’s most stable area, the continued presence of a “token force” of some 1200 South Korean soldiers in the Kurdhish province of Irbil threatens to bring this confilct much closer to home.

In a recent televised announcement South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun apologized to the nation for reversing an earlier promise to bring the nation’s troops home by the end of 2007. While headlines lambasted Roh for his “betrayal” of trust, Roh justified the move by stressing the need for maintaining good relations with Washington, as well as the potential economic benefit for Korea in developing the oil-rich Kurdish region.

Ironically Roh’s decision to extend South Korea’s deployment while cutting in half the number from 1200 to 600 by the end of 2007, places the staunchly liberal Roh in the same camp as his conservative opponents. With the presidential race just two months away, candidates on both sides have squared off on the issue.

Leading presidential candidate Myung Bak Lee of the conservative opposition Grand National Party supports the move. Dong Young Chung of the liberal United New Democratic Party has criticized Lee for his stance, saying this would turn Korea into a supplier of “international mercenaries.” In the same tone Chung went on to say that Lee would “sell the blood of Korea’s youth” to solidify ties with the US.

Chung’s words highlight the degree to which Korea’s involvement in Iraq, and indeed its relationship with the United States, will affect the upcoming elections. At present the role of South Korean troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan remains limited to noncombatant humanitarian missions. While controversial, their deployment in the relatively stable Kurdish north has kept them far from the areas of heaviest fighting further south.

Should violence erupt in northern Iraq as a result of a Turkish invasion, South Korean troops may find themselves swept up into the conflict. If this happens it is certain to launch the issue onto the center stage of South Korea’s presidential politics, escelating the pressure on Korea’s present and future leader.

By Peter Schurmann