South Korea's defense ministry says there is no change in its plans to send an advance unit to Iraq in early June, ahead of the arrival of a larger troop deployment there.

A defense ministry official said Saturday that shipments of military supplies for the troops would be sent to nearby Kuwait early next month.

He said the military has been continuing its preparations for the additional troop dispatch, including conducting inspections of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region, where the troops are to be sent.

The official announced that specific details of the dispatch will likely be confirmed by next weekend, adding that troops will be provided training on Kurdish culture, customs and language starting next week.