As many of you know I am against the ROK Army deployment to Iraq as long as they are there as a window dressing army doing the governments bidding in hopes of winning future contracts from the new Iraqi government. Click here for more of my thoughts on this matter. It is not so much that the ROK Army’s Zaytun Unit is in Iraq for it’s governments own national interests, which is understandable, but because the ROK Army is capable of doing some great reconstruction work if it is allowed to. Primarily the only construction work the Zaytun Unit has done is to build its own operating base complete with an internet cafe to play Starcraft from. That is until now. Via the Budaechigae the Zaytun Unit has announced the great reconstruction project we have all been waiting for! Will it be a bridging project or the announcement of building a new modern highway system, or even an updated electrical grid? Maybe even better yet a new dam! No, to all these great ideas because the collective wisdom of the Korean government has decided the greatest reconstruction project that will stand the test of time, that all Kurds will remember Korea by centuries from now will not be any great dam or highway project but modern plumbing!

Korea’s Zaytun Troops stationed in Irbil, Iraq plan to introduce a new bathroom culture to the war-torn country as part of their peaceful reconstruction project.
The troops plan to install ceramic bidets in all public offices and schools in the Kurdish region starting from March.

In the Middle East, toilet paper is virtually unheard of, and people use their left hand to clean themselves after they have done their business, though Asian-style “water guns” are gaining popularity. The 310 bathrooms within the garrison are all equipped with bidets.

“Because Iraqis are already using water after their toilet, we predict they will easily adapt to bidets,” an officer with the Zaytun troops said. “We plan to put them in all new buildings.”

Korea’s bathroom accessory maker Woongjin Coway is donating 1,000 bidets for the project, each valued at about W700,000. They will include some prototypes besides brand-new products. “If the response is positive, we plan to increase the number of products,” a company spokesman said.

Yes that is right folks the Zaytun unit is going to install toilets and teach people not wipe their ass with their left hands! So years from now when a thriving democratic Iraq holds a commemoration ceremony to thank the coalition countries for helping free Iraq, they will thank countries like America, Britain, Australia, Poland, etc. for shedding blood, sweat, and tears to free the Iraqi people and when they get to recognizing Korea’s contributions to freeing and rebuilding the country, they will thank the Koreans for introducing the wonders of toilet paper to them. The ROK Army deserves better than this.