Republic Of Korea Zaytun Division www.zaytun.mil .kr , 8 , 2006

The Namsadang Troupe from Koreaheld a lively two-hour performancefor the Zaytun troops and local guestson June 13. In attendance wereMinisters of Culture and Educationfrom the KRG, forty professors andstudents from the SalahaddinUniversity, and other various regionalofficials.

The performance opened withgilnori, an act that announces thebeginning of the performance. It wasfollowed by an exciting tightropewalking performance, a various drumperformance, and sal-poo-ri bytherenowned Korean traditional danceperformer Hong Youn-seon thatshowcased the beauty of the KoreanCulture. It closed with sa-mool-no-riand poong-mool-no-ri, excitingmixture of various traditionalinstruments.

During the breaks, the Zaytun troopclub teams Woon-wo-poong-rae andPink Panther added to the excitement.The troops also cheered for the Koreannational team, participating in 2006World Cup, with the local guestsjoining in shouting Dae-han-min-gook, O-pil-seung Korea and otherslogans.

The exciting traditional performancefrom the Namsadang Troupe was anevent that brought a taste of faraway

home to the troops, and also a respitefrom their long deployment.

Falak Addin Kakai, the KRGMinister of Culture, said after theperformance that he is very gratefulthat the Zaytun division held yetanother chance for a mutual culturalexchange for the Kurdish people."Experiencing the Korean traditionalmusic today gave me a chance tobetter understand both Korea and theZaytun," he said.

Thank you Zaytun!

In late Joseon period, namsadangswere wandering troupes ofentertainers from the lower classes. Itsorigin is largely unknown; historicalrecords are few, and even those arewritten for and by the ruling class,who looked at namsadang as a groupbehind many immoral acts.

Namsadang at first was anexclusively female group ofperformers who danced and sang atfestivals around the country, but iteventually became an exclusively malegroup. The prefix nam, meaning male,was added to change its name fromsadang to namsadang.

The namsadang performers weremade up of the lowest classes in theold Korean caste system, but their

performance was a big hit in theperiod during which entertainmentwas hard to find. Because of theiroutcast status, the performersforgedclose alliance with Buddhist templesaround the country, often using themas their assembly points. Variousnamsadang troupes performedactively around the country.

As a form of entertainment for andby the lower classes, namsadangprovides a valuable insight to howthey looked at the late Joseon periodand its upper classes. Currently,namsadang is considered as the originof the modern folk culture, and wasdesignated as an important intangiblecultural asset by the Ministry ofCulture.

To this date, 10,000 Korean sol-dierswho have left their country and lovingfamily to serve in Iraq have beenpraised and extolled by the localresidents and coalition alike, and havebecome a companion of Iraqisbringing a brighter future to Iraq.

Even at this moment, over 3,000troops, as representatives of Korea,

will continue our foot steps until wefulfill our dream, the miracle ofZaytun which is to bloom the flowersof peace and reconstruction Iraq.

Soldiers of the Zaytun Division willdo their best to remain in your heartsas an everlasting friend and a symbolof hope, and we will honor our wordsin the name of 'Zaytun'.

Two Kurdish bro thers , su f fe r ingimpai redvis ion f rom ca tarac t , a rego ing to Korea thanks to the12thbrigade for surgery and treatment.

Hasarok Clinic Completion Ceremonywas held on March 31. The Zaytun hasnow built sevenclinics in the region, withthree of them at Irbil Province and four atDahuk Province.

The Fourth Reconstruction Support Meeting forJune was held on June 4 at the Irbil GovernmentComplex. The meeting, presided by the chiefofZaytun CIMIC, was attended by various directorsand engineers from the Irbil government.

The Ground Breaking Ceremony for KowrabanSchool was held on June 10. The event, presided bythe Zaytun Commanding General, was attended bythe KRG Minister of Education, theIrbil Governor,other local officials and visitors from Korea.

Zaytun Roundup

An unforgettablefestival to celebrateKorea and Kurdish cultures and theirfriendship was held by the 11thbrigade on March 22. The event wasattended by the Zaytun CommandingGeneral Hwang and 700 Zaytuntroops, the Iraqi Army 1st BrigadeCommander, the KRG Ministers ofCulture and Education, the RegionalPolice Chief, the Zerbani Commander,and other local guests that numbered200.

During the event, a play about theTurkish contingent to the UnitedNation Forces that fought during theKorean War was especially warmlyreceived by the audience. The playnoted the fact that 70% of the Turkishtroop was made up of the Kurdishpeople, and showed the historic spiritof cooperation between the twocultures. At the part where Koreanand Kurdish soldiers celebrate avictory after a battle by singingmilitary songs, the audience added tothe drama by joining in.

Before the play, twenty studentsfrom various villages received theDivision s scholarship. Thescholarship fund included $600 from

the soldiers from CommunicationSupport Company, 11th Brigade, whodonated their 1stplace prize moneyfrom the Zaytun Division MovieFestival to the local children.

His team was about to play itssecond match of the 2006 World Cupafter beating Togo, and Safin Kanabi,the President of Iraqi KurdistanFootball Association, could hardlycontain his excitement. He and 500Irbil residents, who had gathered inthe Brusk Park at the late hour of June18, were there to cheer for the Koreannational team versus France.

After the Korean team beat Togo inits first match, old and young, maleand female football-loving residents of

Irbil caught on the World Cup fever.To cheer for Korea, they have turnedout in force well into the night, andwatched the game from a huge screen.Waving the Korean flag that wereprovided by the Zaytun Division, theyshouted Dad-han-min-geook andother famous Korean slogans.

Soldiers from the Zaytun could notjoin the residents due to the late hour,but joined them in spirit, watching thegame inside the base and cheering fortheir national team.

360 Zaytun Division troops held acultural exhibition event at theSalahaddin University on March 28 todemonstrate the Korean culture to thelocal residents. The event was held atthe request from Mohammad Sadik,the President of the SalahaddinUniversity, and was attended by 2,000students and the members of thefaculty, and the KRG Ministers ofEducation and Sports.

The Zaytun Division has held manysuch events in various villages, butthis was the first time such an eventwas held at a university. Through thisevent, the division hopes there wouldbe a wider sense of understanding ofthe Korean culture, and the work thedivision has been carrying out, amongthe region s brightest students.

This event was held after facultymembers and students from theLinguistic and the HumanitiesDepartments of Salahaddin Universitypaid a visit to the 11th brigade on

March 20 for an invitational event,and watched the troop s martial artsand sa-mool-no-ri performance. Thevisitors were very impressed, andasked the brigade to hold an event atthe university for a bigger audience toshowcasethe Korean culture anddemonstrate the work the Zaytun hasbeen carrying out for the developmentof the region.

To commemorate the Children sDay, the 12th brigade of the ZaytunDivision held an event on March 31for 220 students and faculty membersfrom villages the brigade has heldcivil military operation, orphanagesthe brigade has supported, and Irbilarea elementary schools.

The event was held with the goal ofbringing hope and dream to the localchildren, and showcasing thedivision s various activities toimprove Korea s image among them.The children took part in thephotograph session, tour of thebrigade s facilities and equipment,tour of the Vocational TrainingCenter, and the sports event with theZaytun troops.

The visitors were very impressedwith the high-tech militaryequipments, and could see theircapabilities firsthand during demon-strations. At the Vocational TrainingCenter, they could also see theexample of Division s "Respect andDemonstration" motto, at the facilitiesfor various courses that the Centerholds.

The tour was followed by the HonorGuard and Taekwondo performances,and music from the Military Band.The children then took part in the

sports event, at which they could havea great fun playing a two-person-three-leg sprint, a tug-of-war andother events. A photograph sessionwas held alongside the sports event,which was warmly received by thevisitors.

"We had so much fun. I hopeeveryday is a Children s Day," thechildren said, thanking the ZaytunDivision for holding the event."Koreans are always there to help uswith smile on their faces, and we hopethey would be here forever."