South Korean president says country will not become involved in Strait of Hormuz war
Lee Jae-myung says Seoul will not deploy forces or military equipment for participation in or intervention in the conflict, while maintaining measures to protect commercial shipping and its citizens.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Seoul would not send forces or military equipment to the Strait of Hormuz for participation in or intervention in a war. He said the country would continue limited efforts to protect commercial shipping, oil routes and its citizens. South Korean officials have denied reports of a U.S. request or deadline for deploying equipment, while Iran has warned against military involvement by other countries.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that Seoul would not deploy forces or military equipment to the Strait of Hormuz if doing so would involve participation in or intervention in a war.
“There will be no troop deployment that entails involvement in or intervention in the war,” Lee said at a news conference, according to Chosun Daily, as reported by Iran’s IRNA news agency. He said South Korea had adhered to that principle and would continue to do so.
Lee added that South Korea needed to take limited measures, like other countries, to protect commercial vessels, oil transportation routes and the safety of its citizens.
He said the Cheonghae Unit is already deployed and prepared to respond to threats to shipping routes, including piracy, as well as threats to South Korean nationals. Seoul is also reviewing ways to strengthen the unit’s capabilities, he added.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry recently said it had sent an investigative team to the Strait of Hormuz region to assess regional and security conditions. The ministry denied reports that the United States had requested South Korea to deploy military equipment to the waterway. The presidential office also rejected reports that Washington had set a deadline for Seoul to send equipment, calling them false.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei recently warned in a Korean-language post on X that any operational participation or military presence by other parties in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz would be viewed as direct support for an aggressor and would have serious consequences. His comments referred to Iran’s claims about U.S. actions, which were presented in the source report but were not independently verified.