South Korea’s defence ministry said on Thursday that Seoul will send naval patrol planes and a bomb-disposal unit to waters close to the Strait of Hormuz. The step is meant to help keep the strategic waterway open for commercial traffic.
The move comes as Seoul maintains that it will not commit troops to military action in the Iran war. Instead, it says it is seeking to protect merchant shipping and energy supplies passing through one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
Expanded role for the Cheonghae anti-piracy unit
The ministry confirmed reports that the government plans to widen the operating zone of its Cheonghae anti-piracy naval unit. That force currently guards vessels in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, and its area would now stretch to waters near Hormuz, a ministry spokesperson said.
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According to Yonhap News Agency, the package will include a destroyer, a P-8 patrol aircraft, an EOD team, unmanned surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles for underwater exploration. Yonhap also reported that extending the unit’s deployment, which is currently authorised until the end of this year, would require parliamentary approval.
Limits placed on the mission’s operations
A defence ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reinforcement is strictly for non-combat purposes. The official added that the unit will operate independently of allied forces.
“The enhancement of the Cheonghae unit’s mission is to protect our citizens and safeguard our economic interests,” the official told reporters. The official also said operations will remain restricted to open waters south of Oman, and that maritime patrol aircraft will be barred from targeting or monitoring Iranian territory, territorial waters or the interior of the Strait of Hormuz.
Presidential stance and Tehran’s warning
In September, President Lee Jae Myung reiterated that South Korea would not deploy troops in a way that could lead to military intervention. “We have upheld the principle of non-involvement and non-intervention in the war until now,” he said, adding, “And we will continue to uphold it going forward.”
Tehran has warned South Korea against any such deployment, after Seoul said it was weighing a contribution to the security of the waterway.
