News of the Region

Korea and the sending of troops to Afghanistan

Korea requested Parliament to pass a bill allowing for the deployment of up to 350 troops to Afghanistan where Korean civilians are assisting reconstruction efforts, officials said, according to Yonhap News.

The request came four days after the government finalized plans to deploy a regular contingent of 320 troops to Parwan Province from mid-2010 through the end of 2012 to protect a provincial reconstruction team, or PRT.

It also came as the Taliban warned this week of "bad consequences" for Korea if the country goes ahead with its planned deployment. In 2007, Korea withdrew more than 200 military medics and engineers from Afghanistan after it won the release of nearly two dozen Christian missionaries from the insurgents. The Taliban, which killed two missionaries during negotiations with Korea, claims the government pledged not to re-deploy troops, which Seoul denies.

The bill submitted Friday and set to be examined by the National Assembly's national.

Ambassador from Argentina in Korea, Alfredo Alcorta, leaves Seoul alter almost four years

Ambassador Alfredo Alcorta, which has been argentine ambassador in Korea for the last almost four years, is going back to Buenos Ares. Before this, he was bestowed the Korean Order of Diplomatic Service Merit by the local government, by Prime Minister Chung Un-Chan.

"For the Latin people, we remember fondly and never forget our first girlfriend and Korea is my first Asian girlfriend," he said with a smile.

Korea Launches Image-Boosting Campaign

The administration plans to create a G20 Park, a G20 Street and a forum of young leaders from the world's 20 major economies as part of programs aimed at improving Korea's international image.

In a report to President Lee Myung-bak, the Presidential Council on Nation Branding said the country's hosting of the world's premium economic forum would be a crucial opportunity to promote its potential of becoming an advanced country. The briefing session took place at the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

The council proposed diverse measures, including naming a park and a street to celebrate the summit, and creating ads for global media outlets such as CNN and BBC to promote Korea's rising global status.

It also plans to come up with a 10-point action plan to raise residents' awareness of global citizenship and etiquette; suggest guidelines for the street advertisements of businesses and stores; organize a conference for student leaders from the G20 countries; and launch an online campaign to improve Korea's reputation abroad, among others.

"As the first Asian country to host the G20, Korea should take advantage of the event to become a more respected and powerful nation," President Lee said.

"It will be a good opportunity, too, to upgrade global awareness about Korea's potential as well as the remarkable achievements the nation has made during the past decades." (From Korea Times)

The Bank of Korea Expects 4.6% Economic Growth in 2010

The Bank of Korea expects the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 4.6 percent next year, which is slightly lower than the government's estimation of a growth of some 5 percent.

The number of jobs will grow by 170,000, with the unemployment rate standing at 3.5 percent, the bank predicted.

The central bank announced its outlook for the 2010 economy, Friday.

It projected a 0.2 percent growth for this year, which would be the lowest level since 1998, when it contracted by 6.9 percent.

The central bank explained that a decrease in the demand for cars would hinder growth in the first half of next year, while the second half would be better.

"The growth rate could be higher than our outlook if the private sector recovers as a growth engine and credit at U.S. commercial banks normalizes quickly," a representative for the central bank said.

He added that the 4.6 percent economic growth would be the biggest among the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries.

South Korea and Argentina at Football World Cup Draw

Korea was grouped with Argentina, Nigeria and Greece in the final draw held in Cape Town, South Africa.

The South Koreans, who have played in seven World Cups since 1954, advanced to the semifinal on home soil in 2002 - the only time the team has progressed beyond the group stage.