US President George W. Bush thanked South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun today for sending medical and engineering units to help with humanitarian efforts in Iraq, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
The two leaders, locked in a dispute with Pyongyang over its resumption of nuclear programs, also "reiterated their intention to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue peacefully and to continue close consultations," he said.
Mr Roh won a major political victory on Wednesday when the opposition-controlled National Assembly overwhelmingly approved his pledge to dispatch some 700 non-combatant troops in support of the US-led war in Iraq.
Members voted 179 to 68 in favor of the motion several hours after Mr Roh delivered an appeal for support in his first speech to the National Assembly since his inauguration in February.
Fearing a public backlash, legislators had twice put off a vote on the unpopular motion that has brought thousands of anti-war protesters onto the streets of South Korea.
AFP