KOREA : Will Gulf Help End With Dispatch of Medical Unit?

This is the debut of a new Opinion feature--excerpts of editorials and commentary from around the Pacific Rim.

After Korea’s contribution to the Persian Gulf had been determined and announced, a new issue--perhaps more grave and controversial than whether the aid ($220 million) is adequate--is emerging. The government is considering the possibility of dispatching a Korean medical unit in addition to the materials, equipment, services and cash support it has already committed. . . . Considering developments in the Persian Gulf, where chances for military clashes are increasing, it is only natural to assume a civilian medical unit would be replaced by a military medical unit in the event of war.

We have already experienced a similar situation in Vietnam, and we are led to believe that discussions, by some U.S. congressmen, of the possibility of dispatching Korean combat troops and the Korean government’s study of sending a medical unit are not unrelated.

(But) . . . we no longer have the authoritarian government that could decide things without consulting the people. If the U.S. government is thinking that it can rely on the Korean government deciding things unilaterally, it is wrong.