Tag: South Korea

One Korean Middle East expert is calling for Korea to send troops and ships to assist Gulf Arab allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz:

Korea risks undermining its defense export ambitions in the Middle East if it fails to support key Gulf partners during the current conflict, a Middle East expert warned, arguing that trust built in times of crisis, not just technology, determines future arms deals

Jang Ji-hyang, a principal fellow and director of the Center for Regional Studies at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said Seoul has focused too narrowly on its alliance with the United States and its role as a middle power, while overlooking its strategic ties with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Korea Times

You can read the whole interview at the link, but something the Gulf Arab countries could use would be for Korea to send air defense units to help them defend against the drones they have been dealing with. This would show proactive support to the Gulf Arab countries while not being involved in active offensive operations against the Iranians if Korea wants to continue to hedge on this war.

As the war with Iran drags on more governments are going to have to implement fuel saving policies like this:

The government will strictly enforce a mandatory five-day vehicle rotation system for the public sector to respond to possible oil supply disruption amid persisting tensions in the Middle East while implementing additional energy-saving measures, the climate ministry said Tuesday. 

Starting Wednesday, the government will beef up monitoring of the public sector’s compliance with the license plate-based rationing system, under which cars are divided into five groups based on the last digit of their license plate numbers and each group is prohibited from driving on a designated weekday, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. 

The system has been in place but run loosely. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt from such restrictions.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is a bit weird that Taiwan is bringing up this issue now when South Korea says the labeling they have been using for Taiwan has been in place since 2004. Did the Taiwanese government just notice this now?:

Taiwan said Wednesday it has changed South Korea’s name in its immigration systems from “Korea” to “South Korea,” in a reciprocal move as Seoul continues to list it as “China (Taiwan)” on its e-arrivals despite its repeated calls for a “correction.”

Taiwan’s foreign ministry also warned that it will take further corresponding measures if it hears no positive response from Seoul by the end of this month.

The ministry said in a statement that the change took effect March 1, with the nationality of South Koreans on its foreign resident certificates now listed as “South Korea,” instead of “Korea.”

It said the measure came as a reciprocal measure, as Seoul has yet to “correct the inappropriate labeling” of the island state in its e-arrival card system.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is the excuse the ROK appears to be going with on why they can’t help open the Strait of Hormuz:

Should Korea decide to send a mine countermeasure vessel to the Strait of Hormuz, just reaching the area could take three months or longer, military officials said, highlighting the operational challenges facing any potential naval deployment. 

Officials familiar with the matter said that even if a decision is made, the timeline and preparation for getting assets into position would be shaped not only by the challenges of transit, but also by the difficulties of moving vessels through a high-risk environment.

While some have raised the possibility of redirecting the Cheonghae Unit — currently operating in the Gulf of Aden — to the Hormuz mission, the unit is not equipped with the mine-sweeping helicopters needed to safely operate in a mine-threat environment. Deploying a dedicated mine countermeasure vessel or an Aegis destroyer from a Korean port would therefore require a separate deployment process.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but if the ROK wanted to support Trump they would find a way to do it. The easiest way would be to say we can’t provide a countermine ship, but we can redeploy a ship on the anti-piracy mission to link up with U.S. Navy countermine ships to help patrol the Strait.

I have more respect for nations that just say participating in this war is not in their national interest. With UAE announcing that Korea is now their number one priority to export oil to there is no need for Korea to get involved in this.

It looks like the tight relationship that South Korea has built with UAE over many years is now paying off with this announcement:

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged to treat Korea as its top priority for crude oil exports, President Lee Jae Myung’s top aide said Wednesday, announcing that a total of 24 million barrels have been secured from the Gulf country as Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to squeeze Seoul’s energy supply. 

“The UAE promised that Korea is the ‘No. 1 priority’ in supplying crude oil and we agreed that Korea could buy oil anytime through the UAE,” presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a briefing.

In addition to 6 million barrels of crude oil under a previous agreement, the UAE promised this time that an additional 18 million barrels would be shipped to Korea. Roughly 6 million barrels will be shipped by three UAE cargo ships, while six Korean vessels will transport the remainder. Kang added that Seoul and Abu Dhabi plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on the oil supply chain in the near future.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is probably going to be happening across the world as the war with Iran drags on:

The government said Thursday it will implement a temporary fuel price cap system starting at midnight to help ease cost burdens amid supply concerns over the ongoing Middle East crisis, officials said Thursday. 

The government announced the plan at a task force meeting of ministers in charge of managing market prices, as domestic fuel prices have fluctuated since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran late last month.

It marks the first time since 1997 that South Korea is enforcing the price ceiling system using a provision in the Petroleum Business Act that allows the industry minister to designate a maximum sales price when oil prices fluctuate sharply and threaten economic stability.

Under the price cap system, the government will set maximum prices for oil products South Korean oil refineries supply to gas stations and distributors, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. 

The ministry said it has decided to apply the price ceiling on supplies by oil refineries, not the retail prices at gas stations, considering that retail prices vary widely by region and business strategy and operating practices of gas stations.

The maximum price will be calculated by multiplying the weekly average supply prices of regular gasoline, diesel and lamp oil products, and the adjustment rate of the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), added with related taxes. MOPS is a benchmark price for petroleum products across the Asia-Pacific region. 

The initial price cap will be set at 1,724 won (US$1.17) per liter for regular gasoline, 1,713 won per liter for diesel and 1,320 won per liter for lamp oil.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is some great advertising for Korea’s defense industry:

As Iranian forces launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following Saturday’s U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the United Arab Emirates turned to South Korea’s Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system to help intercept incoming attacks, according to officials familiar with the matter. 

The system, sold to the UAE in recent years as part of Seoul’s expanding defense exports, has been integrated into the country’s broader air defense network. 

The interception marks the first combat use of a South Korean-made air defense weapon deployed overseas, underscoring the country’s expanding arms exports to the Middle East and offering a rare glimpse of the system’s performance in combat.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.