President Roh Moo Hyun paid a surprise visit to South Korean troops stationed in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil in early December. After a trip to meet with leaders of European nations, the president stopped in Iraq to give a morale boost to the 3,600 soldiers involved in the reconstruction efforts there.

“I have worried a lot about the safety of our troops, but I reaffirm the ability of our military here,” Roh told about 600 cheering soldiers during breakfast. “I wanted to see you in person, even though I’ve heard you are doing well.”

Roh’s impromptu visit to Iraq is also seen to have another purpose: as a visible demonstration to the United States of his commitment to the Seoul-Washington alliance on issues such as the redeployment of U.S. troops within Korea and the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

The visit could also positively impact parliamentary deliberations on whether to approve the president’s plan to extend for one year the troop deployment in Iraq. South Korea is the second-largest coalition force, after Great Britain, in the U.S.-led mission to rebuild Iraq.