A third contingent of South Korean military engineers and medics have arrived in Kuwait and are scheduled to head to Iraq Thursday to replace non-combat troops currently stationed there.

Some 330 troops of the Seohee and Jaema units were scheduled to head to the southern Iraqi region of Nasiriyah Wednesday shortly after arriving in Kuwait, but decided to delay their departure until Thursday morning due to risk factors involved with nighttime travel. The troop contingent is the first batch of an eventual 660-troop deployment of the two units, focusing on reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in the southern Iraqi region. The second dispatch will depart next Wednesday.

South Korea is set to choose between Irbil or Sulaimanyah in the northern Kurdish regions as the location for the dispatch of an additional 3,000 troops later this month. After the dispatch site has been selected, the Seohee and Jaema units will move to the area to make preparations for the arrival of the 3000-strong Zaitun unit.

South Korean military engineers and medics have been serving in Iraq since last April.