A ceremony was held Monday to form the 33rd and final contingent of a Korean peacekeeping unit in Lebanon ahead of the expiry of its U.N. mandate later this year. Korea has stationed the Dongmyeong unit in Lebanon’s southern Tyre region since 2007 as part of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to help maintain peace in the Middle Eastern country. Last August, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution to extend UNIFIL’s mandate only until the end of this year, followed by a one-year withdrawal window. The formation ceremony for the 33rd contingent of the Dongmyeong unit was held at the headquarters of the International Peace Supporting Standby Force in Incheon, west of Seoul, according to the military. After a period of training, the contingent is scheduled to depart in September.
