SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea's government is likely to seek an extension of its deployment of more than 3,000 troops in Iraq, the defense minister said Monday. Yoon Kwang-ung said he believes Iraq will need multinational forces until the middle of next year before its own security forces can take over. Asked whether the government plans to seek lawmakers' approval to extend the deployment, Yoon said: "At the moment, there is a big possibility it will go in that direction toward the end of this year."
South Korea deployed nearly 3,600 troops in northern Irbil late last year to help with reconstruction. In December, the National Assembly approved an extension of the mission through 2005.
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