The government has tentatively decided on the northern Kurdish city of Irbil as the dispatch site for its 3,000-strong Zaitun unit to be sent to Iraq.

In Irbil, the government notified Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani of the decision and inquired after his party's opinion on the planned deployment of South Korean troops.

A local official quoted Barzani as saying that he would make a decision on the planned troop dispatch after consulting KDP members.

A South Korean official said the National Security Council will meet later this week to make a final decision on the deployment location after receiving a reply from the KDP, which is expected to arrive within this week.

The Zaitun unit is tentatively scheduled to leave for the northern Iraqi city in June to help rebuild that region of the war-torn country. Hundreds of South Korean military medics and engineers have already been serving in the southern city of Nasiriyah.

The deployment of additional troops would make the South Korean contingent the third largest foreign military unit in the war-ravaged state after those of the United States and Britain.