[Editorial] Waiting for the American OK on Iraq troop withdrawal

The countries that sent troops to Iraq because they couldn’t resist American persistence are leaving one by one. Italy and Poland plan on completing troop withdrawals by the end of this year, and Japan, a major American ally, has decided to withdraw its Ground Self Defense Force troops by the end of next month. Conservative Australian prime minister John Howard says he is considering a withdrawal of his country’s military from Iraq by the end of this year. British prime minister Tony Blair, U.S. president George W. Bush’s biggest supporter, has ordered his government to draft a timetable for withdrawal, as well.

While late in coming, all are right in doing so. The U.S. unilaterally invaded Iraq, despite opposition by the international community, based only on suspicions that the government of Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. It has been known for some time now that those suspicions were not based on fact. And since the new Iraqi government began May 22, there is no reason for the multinational force intended for the "reconstruction and public security until the start of the new government" to be there any more.

There can be no justification for keeping Korean troops in Iraq in such a situation any longer, and still the government is standing firm. The presidential office and the Ministry of National Defense say that, other than the already scheduled personnel reduction of 1,000 troops, there are no withdrawal plans this year. The main reason given is that having troops in Iraq is symbolic of the U.S.-Korea alliance, so it would be difficult to carelessly bring up the subject. That essentially means Korea’s troops are going to stay until the U.S. says it is okay for them to leave. How pathetic is that? One of the U.S.’s most important allies, Japan, was able to make its own decision on the matter.

Surely part of the issue is that the government depends on the U.S. for much of its national security, making it inevitable that it has to be careful of what the U.S. thinks. However, while alliances between free democratic states must be based on mutual interest, they must still follow international norms. You cannot hang onto a back-alley sense of honor in the case of a war that goes against international justice.

You also have to ask what the returns have been for sending troops to Iraq. Just look at the North Korean nuclear issue, for example; the Bush administration maintains an endlessly hard-line approach and even takes issue with the Kaesong Industrial Complex. A nation cannot survive on the stern realities of international relations without maintaining is own pride. Thursday was the second anniversary of the murder of South Korean missionary Kim Seon-il by an armed group in Iraq. We hope to see at least the start of discussion by the National Assembly on the withdraw of Korean troops.