New Zealand is significantly increasing the size of its deployment to South Korea, the Government has announced today.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will deploy up to 41 additional personnel to the Republic of Korea, increasing the size of its contribution to the United Nations Command (UNC) and its Military Armistice Commission from 12 to up to 53 personnel.
"This decision reflects our strong commitment to the Republic of Korea, and our need to step up to better support peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific more widely," Defence Minister Judith Collins said on Tuesday.
"This deployment is an excellent opportunity for our NZDF personnel to utilise their skills, leadership and experience in a multinational environment."
The personnel will take on roles in the UNC Honour Guard and join the UNC Security Battalion operating in the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea. They will work alongside contributing nations, including the Republic of Korea, the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Philippines.
"Substantially increasing the size of our deployment to the Republic of Korea reflects the importance New Zealand places on collective security efforts that support peace and stability and the international rules-based system in the Indo-Pacific region, and on the Korean Peninsula in particular," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
Newshub.
