The Government has announced the New Zealand Defence Force will extend its 12-person contribution to the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission in the Republic of Korea.

“Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to its international responsibilities and playing its part in upholding regional security,” says Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

“Extending our deployment to the Republic of Korea demonstrates our commitment to supporting peace and stability and upholding the international rules-based system, both on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region more broadly.”

NZDF personnel will continue to support the United Nations Command alongside New Zealand’s closest partners, including the Republic of Korea, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

“This decision reflects our strong commitment to the United Nations, to our friends and close partners the Republic of Korea and Japan, and more broadly to upholding international rules and norms that support our security and prosperity,” says Defence Minister Andrew Little.

The mandate for New Zealand’s longstanding deployment to the Republic of Korea has been extended to September 2024. The NZDF has contributed the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission since 1998.