Page 213 - 2018 Defense White Paper

Section 4 Contribution to International Peace

through Overseas Deployments

The ROK overcame the tragedy of the Korean War with the support of the UN and the international community,
and achieved remarkable economic growth and democratization. As a result of economic and political
development, the ROK became a donor nation that has not forgotten the support that it has received and a
country that actively participates in peacekeeping operations as a responsible member of the international
community. As of November 2018, around 1,000 ROK personnel were deployed and engaged in various
missions, 52) including UN peacekeeping operations, peace operations of multinational forces, and defense
exchanges and cooperative activities, helping elevate the ROK’s international stature.

1. UN Peacekeeping Operations

UN peacekeeping operations began with the establishment of the United Nations Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Palestine in 1948 to monitor armistice agreements. Chapter 5
Fourteen mission groups 53) are currently carrying out their duties, including armistice supervision
and reconstruction support, in conf lict areas around the world.

Starting with the deployment of an engineering unit to Somalia in 1993, the ROK, which

52) Comparison of various international peacekeeping activities
Multinational Forces’ Peace Defense Exchanges and
Category UN PKO
Operations Cooperation Activities
Led by regional security
Host Led by the UN Led by deploying nations
organizations or particular countries
Command PKF commander appointed by the Military commanders of
MNF commander
and Control UN secretary-general deploying nations
Expenses Borne by UN Borne by deploying countries Borne by deploying countries
53) Currently, there are seven Missions in Africa (Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Mali, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Abyei, and South Sudan), three in the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, and
Palestine), two in Europe (Kosovo and Cyprus), one in South America (Haiti), and one in Asia (India and
Pakistan). Nearly 120 countries have together deployed around 70,000 personnel to these missions.

Section 4 Contribution to International Peace through Overseas Deployments 211