AP - South Korea's parliament voted to extend the country's troop deployment in Iraq for another year, amid protests by activists opposed to the decision.
The 298 member National Assembly approved the extension of the country's deployment of 650 troops by a vote of 146-104. Six MPs abstained and 42 others did not show up for the vote.
President Roh Moo-hyun announced the extension plan in October, saying it would solidify South Korea's alliance with the United States amid the North Korean nuclear standoff and boost economic interests in Iraq.
"We can't help paying attention to the North Korean nuclear issue," Hwang Jin-ha, a member of the conservative opposition Grand National Party, told parliament before the vote. He said closer cooperation with the US is crucial as North Korea threatened to slow its disabling of nuclear facilities due to delayed aid.
South Korea has stationed troops in Iraq for a reconstruction mission since 2003 at the request of Washington, which has 28,000 troops based in South Korea as deterrent against North Korea.
In September, US President George W Bush asked Roh to consider the extension when they met during the APEC summit in Sydney, saying the South Korean contingent in Iraq has a high reputation for its expertise.
The South's troop level once stood at 3,600, making it the largest coalition partner after Britain. However, the Seoul government has gradually brought soldiers home due to anti-deployment sentiments that peaked when Islamic insurgents beheaded a South Korean civilian working in Iraq in 2004, amid militant demands for a troop withdrawal.
South Korea recently withdrew about 600 troops from Iraq, setting the current troop level at 650, according to the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.
Earlier, dozens of anti-war activists staged a protest near the National Assembly in Seoul, calling on MPs to reject the extension plan.
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