A Disgrace Day for the South Koreans: The National Assembly Decided to deploy troops in Afghanistan

* Videos Fwd from the site of the Civilian Alliance Against the Redeployment of Troops to Afghanistan. The first was screened in the rally of 'No Dispatch of the South Korean Troops’ on Feb. 20, 2010'. The second was Feb. 20 rally.

No Dispatch of the Korean Troops to Afghanistan

Youtube URL(RANGZENKOREA)


Youtube URL(MediaVop)


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The National Assembly of South Korea passed the bill on Feb. 25 to send the South Korean troops to Afghanistan for two year and six months term.

The Korea Times says,

'The National Assembly passed a motion to dispatch civilian workers accompanied by security forces to Afghanistan in a vote of 148-5 with 10 abstentions.

Lawmakers of the opposition parties walked out of the Assembly's main chamber before the vote to express their objection. Legislators of the governing Grand National Party voted for the proposal.

The endorsement paves the way for stationing up to 350 workers and troops in Parwan Province near Kabul from July 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2012 to support the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

Currently, 30 civilians are working on reconstruction efforts at the Bagram airbase, providing vocational programs and police training.

Opposition lawmakers have opposed the troop redeployment to Afghanistan, arguing it will make South Korea a major target for international terrorism.'

It made infuriated all the concerned Korean people. The people will not forget the day the bill was passed and will continuously resist against the injustice against of dispatch, occupation and war in Afghanistan.
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Many organizations released the statement to denounce the decision of the National Assembly on Feb. 25

Below is the arbitrary translation of part of

Statement by the Center for Peace and Disaramament, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) on Feb. 25, 2010 (sent from Jieun in the same organization)

We Will Remember

The responsibility for all the disasters and conflicts that would be brought out by the [decision of] the redeployment to Afghanistan is in the hands of Lee Myung-Bak government, Grand National Party and 148 congressman who cast the votes in favor.

The National Assembly of South Korea has finally thrown the great disappointment to the South Koreans. On [Feb.] 25th, today, the bill on the agreement on the re-dispatch to Afghanistan was passed by the general meeting of the National Assembly, in which 148 were in favor of bill, 5 in opposition and 10 in abstention, among the current 163 members, while parts of the Democratic members left [as symbol of resistance] against the bill. The National Assembly self-posed itself as the rubber-stamps for the government bill of the redeployment to Afghanistan, while neither the high opposition of public opinion, existing promise of the withdrawal of troops [by the former government], not the safety threat to people by terror, were considered.

[...]

Even though the [South Korean] government directly violated its negotiation on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan with people and damaged the National Assembly’s constitutional right, by requesting the deployment of the unprecedented long term, two years and six months, the majority of the congress men, lead by the Grand National party, not only aided but rather promoted it by leading it. The favoring 148 votes will be recorded in history as the proof of the fallen dignity of the people and National Assembly, this country.

We will remember this disgrace without fail and will ask responsibility for all the disasters that would come to our people and all the historical crimes that would be brought out by this vicious war, to the related personnel in the government and congress men.