South Korean military officials visiting Iraq's northern Kurdish region of Irbil are reportedly considering an area near Irbil Airport as the location for the dispatch of additional South Korean troops.

A Kurdish source familiar with the matter said Wednesday that the Kurdistan Regional Government had actively recommended to the Korean delegation the state-owned area near the airport as a prospective site for the Korean troop deployment. The Kurdish leadership cited the stable security situation in the region and the area's proximity to the airport, which would be advantageous for ferrying military supplies.

The source said the South's military delegation is actively considering the area near the airport after having inspected two other venues suggested by the Kurdish leadership.

The South's delegation also reportedly reached an agreement with senior officials of the coalition forces in Iraq on designating the Ninawa province, north of the Kurdish region's border, and Irbil as the South Korean troops' operation region.

The 17-member delegation, which departed for the Gulf nation on Sunday, is slated to return home on Monday after ironing out remaining details for the deployment of South Korean troops.

Seoul had planned to send the 3000-strong Zaitun unit to northern Iraq earlier this year, but the plan was postponed several times due to the worsening security situation in the war-torn nation.