Page 223 - 2018 Defense White Paper

4. Strengthening the Foundation for Peacekeeping Operations

| Establishing a Legal Basis for Overseas Deployments | In January 2010, the ROK
government leg islated the “United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Participation Act” to

establish the legal basis for deployment to UN peacekeeping operations. However, with the
exception of UN peacekeeping operations, there is still no legal basis established for peace
operations with multinational forces or defense exchanges/cooperation activities. The ROK

government is currently pursuing the enactment of the “Act on the Armed Forces’ Participation
in Overseas Deployment Activities” to establish a legal basis for various types of overseas
deployment activities. The bill for the act specif ies the requirements and procedures for the

deployment of troops and the legal protection for deployed servicemembers as well as provisions
related to the National Assembly’s democratic control over the deployment of troops, including
the National Assembly’s right to request withdrawal of deployed troops, and the mandatory
submission of performance reports after withdrawals. Once enacted, the act is expected to

enhance the transparency and predictability of overseas deployment activities.

| Operation of a Standing Unit for Overseas Deployment | Since December 2009, the
ROK Armed Forces operated a standing unit for overseas deployment consisting of some 3,000 Chapter 5
troops that can be deployed in one or two months after a PKO mission order is given. The
standing unit consists of a dedicated deployment unit of some 1,000 troops, a designated reserve

unit of 1,000 troops, and a specially designated unit of 2,000 troops. The dedicated deployment
unit is the f irst to prepare for deployment when the need for deployment ar ises. In July 2010, the
International Peace Support Standby Force (IPSSF), or “Onnuri Unit” 61) was established as a

unit devoted solely to overseas deployment. The designated reserve unit prepares for the rotation
of deployed personnel or additional deployment, and the specially designated unit, a functional
unit, prepares for various deployment requirements. When the UN requests deployments of

engineering and medical units, the specially designated unit will receive the required personnel
mainly from the existing designated parent units (engineering and medical) and will then be

61) “Onnuri” is a Korean compound word consisting of “on,” which means “whole” and “all,” and “nuri,” which
means “the world inhabited by people.” The name signifies a unit that performs its missions all over the world.

Section 4 Contribution to International Peace through Overseas Deployments 221