  We report Zn-doping effect in the parent and F-doped LaFeAsO oxy-arsenides.
Slight Zn doping in LaFe$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$AsO drastically suppresses the
resistivity anomaly around 150 K associated with the antiferromagnetic (AFM)
spin density wave (SDW) in the parent compound. The measurements of magnetic
susceptibility and thermopower confirm further the effect of Zn doping on AFM
order. Meanwhile Zn doping does not affect or even enhances the $T_c$ of
LaFe$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$AsO$_{0.9}$F$_{0.1}$, in contrast to the effect of Zn
doping in high-$T_c$ cuprates. We found that the solubility of Zn content ($x$)
is limited to less than 0.1 in both systems and further Zn doping (i.e., $x$
$\geq$ 0.1) causes phase separation. Our study clearly indicates that the
non-magnetic impurity of Zn$^{2+}$ ions doped in the Fe$_2$As$_2$ layers
affects selectively the AFM order, and superconductivity remains robust against
the Zn doping in the F-doped superconductors.
