“The contract includes training Iraqi pilots, technicians, and engineers on these two aircraft, which can carry about 3,000 liters of water,” state media said, citing an interior ministry statement.
Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul-Amir al-Shammari described the contract signing as a “historic step” to boost the ministry’s aviation directorate “and to strengthen joint bilateral relations between the two countries.”
South Korea’s diplomatic relations with Iraq date back to the eighties. Following the US invasion in 2003, Seoul sent troops to be stationed in Erbil – named the Zaytun Division – to support the Kurdistan Region.
Its forces have also taken part in the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).
A number of South Korean companies also operate in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including electronic giants LG as well as Hyundai and Kia Motors in the automotive industry.
In 2016, South Korea upgraded its diplomatic mission in the Kurdistan Region from an embassy office to a consulate, and has since 2015 provided donations to the IDPs and refugees in the Region.
