Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The ‘Triumphant’ 17th Dong-myeong unit

17th Dong-myeong unit soldiers carrying out UN Peace Keeping Operation in Tyre, Southern Lebanon proved the superiority of Korean army.

On March 31, an official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff said “On March 29, soldiers from the 17th Dong-myeong unit were given UN medals for a successful mission completion. This medal is the highest honor, given to units who finish a PKO mission of at least 90 days.”

The UN medal award ceremony was organized by Brigadier General Franco Federici, Western Brigade Commander of UNIFIL. Held at the Dong-myeong unit’s post, the ceremony was attended by approximately 400 people including the Union Mayor of Tyre, UNIFIL soldiers from all over the world, relevant officials from the Lebanese army, local residents and more.

Since its first dispatch in July of 2007, the Dong-myeong unit has been engaged in civil-military operation to completely block the flow of illegal weapons and armed forces, and has been improving the quality of local residents’ life within the responsible region. As a result, the Dong-myeong unit is evaluated as the ‘best mission capable unit’ among 39 UNIFIL participating countries, with residents praising the unit as ‘a gift from God.’

By Byeong-No, Yun < trylover@dema.mil.kr >

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