Photo By Andrea Chaney | Maj. Yong Joo Lee, of the Republic of Korea Army, stands outside the Nepal Army...... read more read more
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By Capt. Andi Hahn, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
KATHMANDU, Nepal (April 1, 2013) — Republic of Korea Army officer trains for peacekeeping at Shanti Prayas-2, Global Peace Operations Initiative multinational exercise in Nepal, involving 23 nations to train on United Nations standards for operating in future peacekeeping missions.
Peacekeeping operations are necessary to keep the security and safety of the world, according to Maj. Yong Joo Lee, of the Republic of Korea Army.
Lee and his superior officer, Lt. Col. Si Bum Kim, were selected to participate in the capstone exercise Shanti Prayas-2, hosted by the Nepalese Army in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The two-week training exercise is part of the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), a U.S. State Department program executed in the region by facilitators from U.S. Pacific Command. The training addresses major gaps in international peacekeeping operations. The program aims to build and maintain capability, capacity, and effectiveness of peacekeepers deploying to United Nations missions.
Lee and Kim are part of the staff exercise, which brought officers from 23 different nations together to plan, coordinate and execute peacekeeping scenarios that can be applied directly to real-world situations.
“Our country has a very long history of serving in the United Nations,” said Lee. “I’ve never been a part of this exercise but last year I served in the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP),” he said. “There is long history of UNMOGIP mission since 1949 and I participated as a peacekeeping officer.”
Lee said that in today’s world, peacekeeping operations are necessary to keep the security and safety of the country.
“Our country now is starting to participate much more in peacekeeping around the world,” Lee said. “So this exercise is mandatory for us as one of the roles of the world for security and safety. As far as future UN missions for me, that will be decided by my higher command but I would be honored to take part as peacekeeping officer.”
Lee was thrilled he has had the opportunity to work with officers from all around the world and said he was especially impressed with the Nepalese Army who hosted the exercise.
“I had never been to Nepal or met anyone from Nepalese Army and I’m very impressed by their professionalism and knowledge,” he said. “As for working with other foreign officers, to be frank, it’s very awesome! I am so happy to be a member of this exercise and peacekeeping operations.”
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2013 12:47 |
| Story ID: | 104628 |
| Location: | KATHMANDU, NP |
| Web Views: | 416 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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