Here is what is being section what Korea will do with any possible deployment to the Middle East:
Local news reports have speculated on the potential list of military assets for deployment, including the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support ship and explosive ordnance disposal teams — mainly non-combat assets.
However, the naval logistics support vessel has reportedly been ruled out as its operation would require dispatching more than 100 sailors.
The assessment team likely visited the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, home to a primary U.S. military installation in the UAE, to check operational conditions for the potential P-8A deployment.
Sending an assessment team to a candidate deployment site is part of the required procedures under the defense ministry’s directives on overseas military deployment. Upon return, the team is obliged to report the result of the mission to the National Security Council.
The defense ministry, however, has stressed that the team’s dispatch does not mean the deployment will follow, saying that its purpose was strictly to assess the security environment and safety conditions near the strait.
You can read more at the link, but I still think counter-drone and missile defense in support of UAE is play here.
The ruling party and the Korean public do not like Trump which makes it politically difficult to do this deployment in support of Trump. Instead frame it as a request for defensive assistance from the UAE, a long time strategic partner of the ROK. President Lee should not even bring Trump’s name up when discussing this deployment in order to sell it to the Korean public.
If anything I would hope these threats would make the ROK government more determined to deploy assets to the Middle East to show they are not easily intimidated by the Thugs of Tehran:
Complicating Seoul’s deliberations on the issue is Iran’s stern warning against any potential military dispatch to the strait.
“Any other country maintaining a military presence or participating in operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz can only be regarded as directly supporting the perpetrators of the aggression, and it will lead to serious consequences,” Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, wrote on X on Monday.
His social media post also carried a photo with a Korean-language message: “A dangerous choice comes with consequences.”
You can read more at the link, but I still think deploying anti-drone and missile defense forces to help defend the UAE is a strategy the ROK should pursue. As the Iranian regime becomes more economically desperate they are going to lash out and attack regional energy infrastructure which South Korea can help UAE defend against.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes South Korea to make a decision on this deployment:
South Korea has dispatched an investigation team to assess the situation in the conflict-stricken Strait of Hormuz, the defense ministry said Tuesday, amid repeated calls from Washington for Seoul to assist its war efforts against Iran.
The team departed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the weekend and is expected to return as early as this week. The examination results will be reported to the National Security Council, the ministry added.
“It is aimed at assessing the state of affairs and the security situation in the strait,” a ministry official explained, stressing that the dispatch “was not decided on the premise of military deployment.”
You can read more at the link.
Here is an opinion piece in the Korea Times on what the ROK should do with the issue of deploying troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz:
Korea faces a dilemma over whether to deploy military assets to the Strait of Hormuz. The alliance with the United States is too important for Seoul to simply disregard Washington’s request for a military contribution. At the same time, dispatching a warship would carry serious consequences. Such a deployment could be interpreted as Korea joining U.S. military action against Iran, unnecessarily turning Tehran into an adversary.
The multinational maritime mission being developed by the United Kingdom and France deserves close attention. Early reports indicated that roughly 15 countries were involved in operational planning, while a considerably larger number later joined diplomatic consultations and expressed political support. Korea has also endorsed an international statement calling for freedom of navigation in the Strait and has discussed possible contributions with the United States, Britain and France. Seoul’s choice, therefore, need not be reduced to a simple question of accepting or rejecting a U.S. request.
The most important feature of the U.K.-France initiative is its stated effort to distinguish itself from U.S. military operations against Iran. Its purpose is not to attack or retaliate against Iran, but to ensure the safe passage of civilian vessels and remove mines and other threats to navigation. The proposed mission would focus on defensive activities such as merchant-vessel escorts, mine clearance and maritime and aerial surveillance. It is also intended to begin only after a ceasefire, consent by the relevant parties and other conditions necessary for a sufficiently permissive operational environment are in place.
That distinction is crucial for Korea. Sending a Korean warship to support U.S. operations against Iran would carry a fundamentally different political and military meaning from joining a multinational effort to restore an international sea lane. The former would expose Seoul to accusations that it had effectively become a party to America’s war. The latter could be justified as international cooperation to protect a global public good vital to the world economy.
You can read more at the link, but the waiting for a ceasefire sounds like a way to avoid doing the deployment. We already had a ceasefire and the international community had over a month to do something and instead did nothing before the Iranians decided to violate the ceasefire. There is likely going to no longer be any more ceasefires since the Iranian regime already violated one. The Trump administration now seems firmly committed to the slow economic strangulation of the regime which means no ceasefires.
If Korea wants to do something that is low risk to their troops, but still beneficial to their position in the Middle East, I propose they send anti-drone and cruise missile defense units to help defend the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has been a long-term economic and defense partners with South Korea. The Lee administration can frame the deployment as assisting the UAE and protecting ROK economic interests and not joining the US war against Iran. Additionally, this would showcase ROK military technology and provide valuable real-world experience against the same hybrid threats North Korea would use during a crisis on the peninsula.
I guess we will see if President Lee has the political courage for such a deployment, or rather, just be like the rest of the world and hide from the Thugs of Tehran.
Iran is making threats to attack South Korean assets in the Middle East when they have already attacked South Korean assets in the Middle East. Let’s also not forget the hostage taking of a South Korean ship and the attack the Iranians did on UAE while former President Moon was visiting in the past as well. Let’s also not forget when the Iranians torpedoed another South Korean tanker. The Thugs of Tehran have shown over the years they are no friends to Korea and it may be time for Korea to start fighting back against these thugs:
South Korea is closely communicating with relevant countries and the international community to help ensure the free passage of all vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said Monday.
The statement came after Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi warned that Tehran could regard Seoul as an enemy and target South Korean assets in the region if Seoul joins a U.S.-led effort to secure navigation through the strait, according to the London-based Middle East news website Middle East Eye.
“We are closely communicating with the international community, including relevant countries, to help restore peace and stability in the Middle East as soon as possible and to ensure the free passage of all vessels, including those of our country, through the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry said in a release.
You can read more at the link.
The only troops the ROK would likely send are for defensive purposes and yet the Iranians are making threats against them:
A senior Iranian official has warned Korea against deploying military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, saying any action against Iran would be considered direct participation in the war.
“Any South Korean involvement against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz would amount to direct military participation in the aggression and war against Iran,” the unnamed senior political and security official was quoted as saying by Al Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based news network aligned with Iran and Hezbollah, on Friday.
The official also urged Seoul not to “sacrifice its interests and reputation” by supporting U.S. military operations.
You can read more at the link.
No decision has been made but the ROK government is clearly considering it:
South Korea’s presidential office on Thursday rejected a report claiming the government is considering sending troops to the conflict-stricken Hormuz Strait.
“It is different from the facts. Details related to the issue have yet to be decided,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a notice to reporters.
The presidential office reiterated its previous stance that South Korea has been in discussions with other nations on how it could contribute to restoring peace and stability in the Middle East and inside the strait.
Earlier in the day, local broadcaster JTBC reported that the government is “leaning toward” dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz and is reviewing related details to submit a request for a parliamentary approval to the National Assembly.
You can read more at the link. However, sending a detachment of troops to the UAE for example, for a counter drone mission would help a key ROK partner in the Middle East and win favor with President Trump.
The article doesn’t say, but it appears that this South Korean ship was one of the 200 that President Trump said successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz with the assistance of the U.S. military:
Another vessel operated by a South Korean shipper has successfully passed through the crisis-stricken Strait of Hormuz, marking the second case of its kind, Seoul’s oceans ministry said Thursday.
The vessel is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier operated by a Korean shipping company under a charter agreement with a foreign party, with eight Korean crew members on board, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Details of the ship, the company and the foreign charterer were undisclosed.
The ministry said the decision was made through consultations between the Korean shipper and the foreign charterer.
The vessel is headed to a different destination than South Korea, it added.
With the latest case, the number of South Korean vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz went down to 24 from 25, with the number of Korean sailors down to 139 from 147.
You can read more at the link.
It should not be surprising that the Iranian regime is willing to blatantly lie despite smoking gun evidence they committed the attack:
Two missiles were fired. The first warhead failed to explode, while the second struck the vessel’s stern hull.
Following the briefing, the foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador to South Korea, Saeed Koozechi, to protest the attack and demand accountability from Tehran.
However, the Iranian envoy denied his country’s involvement in the strike. Speaking to reporters, he said he was personally sorry for the incident but insisted that Iran was not responsible and had never been involved in the attack.
The Iranian Embassy has yet to release an official statement regarding the findings.
Iran must clarify its position on the Korean foreign ministry’s briefing. Tehran’s silence will only fuel speculation and suspicions that it is hiding something.
You can read more at the link.
