S. Korean soldiers convert to Islam before Iraq tour

SEOUL: South Korea's 35,000-strong Muslim community gained 37 new converts yesterday when officers and enlisted soldiers destined for a tour of duty in Iraq were admitted to the faith in a ceremony at Seoul's main mosque. 

South Korea, where Buddhism is the most common religion and Christianity has grown rapidly, has pledged to send 3,000 troops to help reconstruction in Iraq. About 650 South Korean army medics and engineers have served in the country for a year.