South Korea has made a big announcement that it is deploying a battalion of their ROK Special Forces soldiers to the United Arab Emirates and of course the North Korean spies and sympathizers in the DLP condemned the move:

Read the rest at the link, but this sounds like a fair deal for both sides because the South Koreans get the economic benefits of building the nuclear reactor and the UAE gets increased security protection from the South Koreans especially since they just recently decided to kick the Canadians out and wouldn’t even let the Canadian defense minister land in their country. I wonder if this will be a continued bargaining chip for the South Korean government when negotiating deals to construct nuclear reactors; to offer to deploy ROK forces to the country?

Summary

South Korea announced Nov. 4 that it could deploy special operations forces troops to the United Arab Emirates to train their counterparts there. This deployment is unusual for South Korea because it comes as part of its relationship with the emirates and is not part of any U.S. or U.N. operation. South Korea and the United Arab Emirates both stand to gain militarily and economically from the mission, which also points to South Korea’s long-term international military aspirations.

For those who don’t have access to STRATFOR I have the full article posted below the fold:

South Korea could deploy and sustain a special operations forces battalion consisting of around 130 troops to the United Arab Emirates by the end of 2010 to help train the emirates’ special operations forces units, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae Young said Nov. 4. The troops would operate in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, for two years, if the South Korean National Assembly approves the deployment. Kim has also emphasized that, in addition to strengthening relations with the United Arab Emirates directly, the mission would mark a “new concept” for South Korea based on strengthening cooperation with foreign militaries and promoting South Korean interests abroad in a non-conflict environment, where economic and cultural relations would also benefit.

Although the deployment would be small, it would reveal the continuing expansion of South Korea’s international military roles and overall capabilities and would complement its global economic strategy.

The mission to the United Arab Emirates would differ from South Korea’s previous international military missions because it would not be centered on operations driven by the United States or the United Nations. Over the past four decades, South Korean armed forces have participated in U.S.-led military efforts, including the Vietnam and Gulf wars, as well as a number of U.N. peacekeeping missions. Currently, South Korea has more than 716 troops in 13 countries, including a peacekeeping mission on the Lebanese-Israeli border and naval counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. Seoul also plans to expand its deployment in Afghanistan, sending 350 troops to Panwar province north of Kabul to protect reconstruction efforts by South Korean engineers and workers. In the future, South Korea plans to expand its standing army of peacekeepers to 3,000 and to increase humanitarian and disaster-relief missions throughout the world. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak highlighted this growing global military role in September during a speech on the 60th anniversary of the recapture of Seoul during the Korean War, saying that the ChonAn incident emphasized the need for South Korea to reform and further modernize its military and to seek a greater role in global security and stability.

If approved, this latest deployment would mark an addition to South Korea’s growing relationship with the United Arab Emirates, which has included military drills and information sharing but has also had a strong economic focus. Oil supplies alone give South Korea a fundamental interest in being able to deploy forces in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean — the United Arab Emirates supplies South Korea with 14 percent of its oil, second only to Saudi Arabia. Moreover, South Korea recently completed a $20 billion deal for its major companies Samsung, Hyundai and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction to provide the United Arab Emirates with four 1,400-megawatt nuclear power plants, with construction to begin in early 2011, and is in negotiations to sell it T-50 training jets. Notably, South Korea outbid traditional U.S. and European competitors to seal this deal.

Some reports have indicated that the military deployment, allegedly at a UAE request made during negotiations on the nuclear deal, would serve the purpose of guarding the nuclear facilities, but it seems more likely that the special operations forces training justification is the true reason, since recent exercises between the two states were said to have gone well. It would also be unusual to deploy a military battalion solely to guard a nuclear power plant construction project. Still, it is no coincidence that South Korea should be building better military and economic relations with the United Arab Emirates at the same time — the mission clearly complements the economic relationship.

South Korea is boosting its economic growth by seeking new markets worldwide for its high-technology energy and infrastructure goods and services, as well as for its arms exports. Working closer with foreign militaries — besides having specific military applications — is another way of promoting such deals. Seoul wants to expand this international economic strategy and, with so many economic opportunities emerging in the volatile Middle East, wants to increase its capabilities in the event that its workers, companies or assets abroad are targeted in terrorist attacks. Its reconstruction mission in Afghanistan, for instance, is obviously under threat of security breaches, but a Nov. 2 report from the Korea National Oil Corporation that an oil pipeline in Yemen suffered minor damage in a militant bombing highlighted the risks to South Korean people and assets in other areas.

The deployment would also be beneficial for the United Arab Emirates, which could gain from South Korea’s extensive experience with special operations forces due to its ongoing conflict with North Korea. Abu Dhabi is struggling with security threats in its near abroad, including the desire to root out terrorism and maintain a stable business environment for foreign investors, as well as deeper problems arising from increasing unpredictability over Iran’s role in the region and the potential for conflict to emerge in reaction to it. South Korea also offers high-tech goods and services that Abu Dhabi needs to develop and diversify its energy sector and overall economy.

In the long run, of course, Seoul is seeking greater international scope for its military forces and a wider range of operations and training. This will allow it to better train, prepare and test its troops not only for future international operations but also for contingencies closer to home related to North Korea and the broader Northeast Asian security arrangement, with growing Japanese and Chinese competition. South Korea is also seeking to develop its military in ways that will allow it to operate effectively within its region and beyond after the United States transfers full wartime operational control back to South Korea in 2014.

Read more: South Korean Special Operations Forces May Train UAE Troops | STRATFOR