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Park Chan-kyong

South Korea is moving towards the possible deployment of naval assets to the Strait of Hormuz under mounting pressure from Washington, potentially making it one of the first US allies to contribute militarily to the strategically vital waterway, observers have said.
The government has reportedly drawn up plans to deploy military assets, including a naval logistics support ship and P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, to the strait.
If carried out, the deployment would mark South Korea’s first dispatch of troops overseas at the United States’ request in 22 years, since the Zaytun Division was sent to Iraq in 2004.
The Chosun newspaper, citing an official at the presidential office Cheongwadae, reported on Friday that Seoul was considering the deployment, which would require approval from the National Assembly.
“We are reviewing various measures related to preparedness on the Korean peninsula and we can manoeuvre within the scope that does not significantly undermine our readiness posture,” the official told journalists.
“We have repeatedly discussed ways to make substantial contributions to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and in fact, such contributions would include military involvement.”

Cheongwadae said last month it was closely discussing “practical and military contribution measures” with Washington, while taking into account South Korea’s military readiness on the Korean peninsula and domestic legal procedures. It was the first time the government had publicly referred to the possibility of a military contribution.
Asked whether consultations were also under way with the United Kingdom, France and other countries, the official said: “We are reviewing various aspects and are in the stage of consulting necessary countries during the review process.”
Under South Korean law, the government must secure National Assembly approval before dispatching a newly formed military contingent overseas. Any proposal must specify the deployment’s purpose, force size, area of operations and duration.
The official said it was “somewhat ambiguous” whether the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz could be considered a cessation of hostilities, adding that South Korean authorities were conducting a comprehensive review of the circumstances and any mission would be limited to non-combat activities.
Yonhap news agency quoted the same Cheongwadae official as saying the government was “reviewing possible ways” to help ease tensions in the strait, but that “nothing has been decided” and consultations with the National Assembly had not yet begun.
Cheongwadae reiterated in a notice to the media on Friday that “references to combat participation, non-combat operations and search activities were merely general descriptions of various options, and nothing has been decided regarding any substantive form of contribution”.
The statement came hours after the government denied reports that it had already decided to deploy military assets to the strait.
The Chosun newspaper nevertheless reported that the government had informed Washington of its intention to dispatch a new naval logistics support ship, P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and other assets. Other reports said the contingent could also include explosive ordnance disposal personnel.

The apparently conflicting statements have fuelled questions over how far Seoul’s planning for a potential military contribution has actually progressed.
A senior military official told SBS on Thursday that discussions with relevant countries over potential ports of call and operational bases were under way. A P-8 deployment would require access to an airport in a nearby country for take-offs, landings, refuelling and maintenance, while a logistical support ship would require ports for docking and resupply.
Observers say the military appears to be reviewing options – including on missions, potential ports of call and operational bases – ahead of a political decision.
Risks and pressure
A deployment could face significant political opposition at home, particularly if it is perceived as drawing South Korea into conflict with Iran.
Boo Seung-chan, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said any dispatch could trigger a political backlash because it would put South Korean troops in danger.
“The government appears to be in agony under unprecedented pressure from Washington, but who would want to send our young soldiers to a war which was not started by us?” he told This Week in Asia.
“Ultimately, it will depend on public opinion whether the National Assembly will give a green light to it or not.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly singled out South Korea over its reluctance to help the US in its war against Iran.
“We got very little help from other countries,” US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that aired on Sunday, complaining that Washington had spent billions of dollars helping other countries without receiving sufficient support in return.
“We helped them, but when it came to helping us, I didn’t put on a heavy sell, but I just said, ‘Would you like to participate?’ and they all said, ‘No, thank you’,” Trump said.
“And I said, ‘OK, thank you very much. I appreciate it.’ But I think you have to remember this stuff. I really do.”

Trump also pointed to the US military presence in South Korea.
“We have thousands and thousands – like, in South Korea, as an example, we have 40,000 soldiers over there,” he said, recalling that he had asked Seoul to “give us a little hand with Iran”.
South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops.
Doo Jin-ho, a research fellow at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, highlighted the enormous pressure South Korea was under from Washington to contribute to the war effort against Iran.
Doo said US officials had focused heavily on South Korea’s possible contribution to ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz during the twice-yearly Korea Integrated Defence Dialogue held in May.
“Now South Korea is supposed to return to the table with an answer” at the next round of talks later this year, Doo said.
Seoul was also under pressure to make progress on its promised US$350 billion investment in the US, the construction of South Korea’s first nuclear-powered submarines with Washington’s consent and the restoration of wartime operational control of South Korean forces from the US military, he said.
President Lee Jae Myung is expected to visit the US later this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
“Talks over all these key issues appear stalled and the Hormuz deployment would serve as the only possible way out of this quagmire,” Doo said.


Shin Beom-chul, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said the government’s apparent shift towards considering a Hormuz deployment could be linked to US moves to resume dialogue with North Korea.
“At a time when the US could engage North Korea and potentially bypass South Korea, the government may be seeking to repair and strengthen its relationship with Washington through the deployment,” he said.
Kim Yeol-soo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, predicted that South Korea and the US could reach an agreement on a deployment within weeks, with about 150 South Korean servicemen potentially being sent.
“To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, South Korea should send a clear signal to Tehran that its mission is not to antagonise Iran but to secure freedom of navigation and peace,” Kim said.
However, Professor Yang Moo-jin at the University of North Korean Studies was adamant that South Korea should not deploy forces while the legality of the Iran war remained in dispute.
“Using the lives of young people – the very people who represent our future hope – as a tool of diplomatic negotiation runs counter to the spirit of national sovereignty that places young people at the centre of our society,” Yang said.
“With tensions already running high, expanding the scope of South Korean military activities could increase the risk of becoming directly entangled in an armed conflict.”


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South Korea weighs ‘contributions’ to Hormuz as US pressure mounts

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If carried out, the deployment would mark South Korea’s first dispatch of troops overseas at the request of the US in 22 years


If carried out, the deployment would mark South Korea’s first dispatch of troops overseas at the request of the US in 22 years.


South Korea weighs ‘contributions’ to Hormuz as US pressure mounts

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}If carried out, the deployment would mark South Korea’s first dispatch of troops overseas at the request of the US in 22 years

If carried out, the deployment would mark South Korea’s first dispatch of troops overseas at the request of the US in 22 years