With THAAD assets pulled out, is the U.S. asking the Lee administration to protect stranded vessels in the Strait of Hormuz? Cheonghae Unit redeployment under close watch

[The Financial News] After redeploying strategic assets stationed in South Korea and Japan to the Middle East, the United States of America (U.S.) is now seen as likely to ask its allies, South Korea and Japan, to provide rear-area support for operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
In South Korea’s case, the Cheonghae Unit, which operates near the Strait of Hormuz, could be considered for redeployment to protect oil tankers and merchant vessels stranded in the area. Due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, some 20 South Korean ships are reported to have been isolated, but the Cheonghae Unit has not yet intervened directly. However, with reports that Japan is considering dispatching the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to the Strait of Hormuz, the dilemma facing the Lee Jae-myung administration is expected to deepen.
According to diplomatic and security sources on the 12th, there is a strong possibility that the Donald Trump administration will ask South Korea and Japan to send forces to help ensure the safe passage of oil tankers and merchant ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded due to the war with Iran. U.S. President Donald John Trump stated the previous day, "We are also considering taking control of the Strait of Hormuz."
At present, South Korean forces are not permanently stationed around the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Cheonghae Unit, consisting of one Navy destroyer and about 300 personnel, is operating nearby in the Gulf of Aden off the Federal Republic of Somalia.
The Cheonghae Unit’s primary mission has been anti-piracy operations and the protection of commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden, but its operational area was temporarily expanded to the Strait of Hormuz from 2020 to 2021. In January 2021, when the IRGC seized a South Korean vessel, the destroyer Choi Young was urgently dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz.
It is understood that the Cheonghae Unit could reach the Strait of Hormuz within three to four days if urgently deployed. In addition, about 150 personnel from the UAE Military Training Cooperation Group (Akh Unit) are stationed in Abu Dhabi, roughly 200 to 300 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid these developments, Michael DeSombre, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is visiting South Korea and Japan from the 9th to the 15th for a week to discuss cooperation related to the Iran crisis. Michael DeSombre first visited Japan on the 9th and stayed there for three days, then arrived in South Korea on the 11th to begin talks on pending bilateral issues.
On this day, Michael DeSombre is scheduled to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building for a series of meetings with Jeong Ui-hye, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jung Yeon-doo, Director-General for Diplomatic Intelligence, and Park Jong-han, Coordinator for Economic Diplomacy.
Immediately after Michael DeSombre’s visit to Japan, Japanese media began reporting on a possible JSDF deployment to the Strait of Hormuz. Options mentioned included having the JSDF escort oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz or take charge of mine-clearing operations.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will travel to the U.S. from the 18th for a four-day visit to hold talks with Trump. During the U.S.-Japan summit, Trump could formally request the dispatch of the JSDF. There is also a possibility that they will discuss how to compensate for U.S. military assets withdrawn from Japan. Two U.S. Aegis destroyers homeported at United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka were reportedly deployed to the Arabian Sea on the 2nd. These ships are believed to have launched Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) strikes against Iran.
Meanwhile, on the 11th (local time), the 12th day of the war between the U.S.-Israel side and Iran, four ships were attacked by Iranian forces in and around the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the IRGC announced that it attacked the Republic of Liberia-flagged cargo ship Express Rome, owned by an Israeli company, and the Thai-flagged container ship Mayuri Nari after they ignored warnings and attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. In waters 25 nautical miles (about 46.3 kilometers) northwest of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the container ship ONE Majesty, sailing under the Japanese flag, was hit by an unidentified projectile and suffered minor damage. Including the ships hit that day, at least 15 vessels have been attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the war broke out on the 28th of last month.


rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter