South Korea Will Not Enter the War Over the Strait of Hormuz, President Says
Lee Jae-myung says Seoul will not deploy forces or military equipment in a way that would involve participation in or intervention in the conflict, while maintaining limited measures to protect shipping and its citizens.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Seoul would not send troops or military equipment to the Strait of Hormuz in a way that involved participation in or intervention in a war. He said limited measures to protect commercial shipping, oil routes, and South Korean citizens remained necessary, noting that the Cheonghae Unit was already deployed and prepared to respond to maritime threats. South Korea has also sent an investigative team to assess conditions in the region and denied reports of a U.S. request or deadline for deploying military equipment. Iranian official Esmail Baghaei warned that any operational or military presence by other parties in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz would have serious consequences.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has ruled out any deployment of military forces or equipment to the Strait of Hormuz if it would involve participation in or intervention in a war, according to a report by Iran’s IRNA news agency citing the Chosun Daily.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Lee said South Korea would not send forces or equipment for purposes that would draw the country into the conflict.
“Any deployment of forces that would entail involvement or intervention in the war will not take place,” Lee was quoted as saying. “Whether it is the deployment of forces to participate in or intervene in the war, or the deployment of military equipment, we will not do such a thing.”
The president said Seoul had adhered to this principle so far and would not change its position in the future.
At the same time, Lee said South Korea needed to take limited steps, like other countries, to protect commercial vessels, oil transportation routes, and the safety and lives of its citizens.
He pointed to the Cheonghae Unit, a South Korean naval unit already deployed in the region. According to Lee, the unit is prepared to respond to threats against maritime routes, including piracy, as well as threats to South Korean citizens. He added that Seoul was considering and discussing ways to strengthen those capabilities.
The comments came after South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced that it had sent an investigative team to the Strait of Hormuz to assess regional and security conditions. At the same time, reports that the United States had requested the deployment of South Korean military equipment to the waterway were denied by the ministry, according to the report.
South Korea’s presidential office also rejected reports that Washington had set a deadline for Seoul to send equipment to the Strait of Hormuz, describing those reports as untrue.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important maritime route for oil transportation, and concerns about shipping security in the area have prompted discussions among governments about how to protect commercial traffic and their nationals. The evidence provided does not specify the nature or scale of any broader military activity in the region, but it indicates that Seoul is seeking to distinguish between defensive protection of shipping and citizens and participation in hostilities.
The issue has also drawn a response from Iran. Esmail Baghaei, identified in the report as an Iranian official, recently wrote in Korean on the social media platform X that Iran’s relations with South Korea had more than 64 years of history and had generally been based on mutual respect. He said Iran attached significant value to its friendly relations with South Korea.
Baghaei nevertheless warned that, under current circumstances, any operational participation or military presence by other parties in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz would have serious consequences. He described Iran as defending itself against what he called aggressive actions and responding to alleged U.S. war crimes against women and children. He further argued that such involvement would amount to direct support for the party he characterized as the aggressor.
Lee’s remarks, as reported, leave room for South Korea to examine measures aimed at maritime security while rejecting actions that could make it a participant in the war. The president’s stated position is that protecting commercial shipping, oil routes, and South Korean citizens can continue within limits, but that Seoul will not deploy forces or military equipment for combat involvement or intervention.