[6] The incident occurred while the bulk of the Korean contingent was being prepared for its upcoming deployment and triggered a major public debate as to whether they should be sent, involving sometimes violent and vocally anti-American protests.

[9] Another 1,200 troops were sent home in early 2007, and it was widely assumed that a complete pullout would take place by the beginning of 2008, when the deployment mandate was set to expire.

[10] However, on October 23, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun announced that the mandate would be extended for another year, although the size of the contingent will be halved to 600.

[11] The decision to yet again renew the mandate came just several weeks away from December elections in South Korea, during which the extremely unpopular military deployment to Iraq was expected to become a significant issue.

[16] The main tasks of the South Korean contingent were to provide medical services and to build and repair roads, power lines, schools and other public infrastructure.