The South Korean Embassy in New Delhi has refuted a recent statement by Taliban that its pledge to send a provisional reconstruction team (PRT) to Afganistan is an act against the independence of the war torn nation. A senior diplomat of the embassy told toi.com that the job of the PRT is to help rebuild Afghanistan and "not to engage in any type of combat against the people".

Elaborating further, the official said that on the request of the government of Afghanistan, Korea will send a 140 member PRT along with 320 troops. However, these troops, the official clarified, are not for the purpose of war, but to protect PRT personnel. The Korean PRT is providing advice for the strengthening of administration of the provincial government and carry out development assistance projects such as citizens health, education and local development.

The reaction of the South Korean embassy follows a recent statement by its foreign ministry spokesman that said "the Afghan government had requested to expand support for the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan and South Korea had agreed. The spokesman said South Korea had been able to overcome its national crisis during the 1950-1953 Korean war with the help of the international community and eventually emerge as key player in the world."