Deployment of Cheonghae Unit Requires National Assembly Approval... Government Monitoring Moves by Neighboring Countries [US–Iran War]

As President Donald Trump has called on five countries — South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and China — to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) has blocked, the South Korean government is facing a difficult decision. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had until now denied receiving any official troop deployment request from the United States of America (US). However, the situation has changed after Trump publicly asked for naval support.
According to diplomatic sources on the 15th, whether President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung will dispatch the Cheonghae Unit, which is currently operating in the nearby Gulf of Aden, to protect South Korean vessels trapped in the Strait of Hormuz has become a key question. Trump, after meeting with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok of South Korea at The White House, wrote on his social media that he was asking five countries, including South Korea, to send naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 14th (local time), Trump urged countries suffering damage from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to send warships and help maintain security in the waterway. In a post on Truth Social that day, he stated, "Countries affected by Iran's attempt to blockade the Strait of Hormuz will send warships, together with the United States, to keep the strait open and safe." He added, "China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries affected by this artificial restriction will send their vessels here so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer threatened by a country whose leadership has been completely removed."
It has recently been reported that around 20 South Korean vessels have been isolated due to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, but there has been no direct involvement by South Korean forces so far. However, with some reports that Japan is considering sending the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to the Strait of Hormuz, the South Korean government’s dilemma is expected to deepen.
Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi will travel to the US for four days starting on the 18th for talks with Trump. There is speculation that Trump may formally request the dispatch of the JSDF during the US–Japan summit.
The South Korean government may choose not to rush a decision on sending the Cheonghae Unit, and instead first assess the moves of neighboring countries such as Japan before passing the matter to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. Some argue that parliamentary approval is required for the Cheonghae Unit to operate in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the deployment motion for the Cheonghae Unit already submitted to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea includes the phrase "including waters designated for the protection of our nationals in emergencies."
A government official stated that there has still been no official request from the US for a troop deployment. The government maintains that it will conduct an in-depth review if an official request is made, but the prevailing mood is cautious, as the mission would be highly dangerous and could turn Iran into an outright adversary.
At present, South Korean forces are not permanently stationed around the Strait of Hormuz. The Cheonghae Unit, consisting of one Navy destroyer and about 300 personnel, is operating in the waters of the Gulf of Aden near the Federal Republic of Somalia. The Cheonghae Unit has mainly focused on anti-piracy operations and the protection of vessels in the Gulf of Aden, but its area of operations for the Hormuz Operation was temporarily expanded in 2020–2021. In January 2021, when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized a South Korean vessel, the ROKS Choi Young was urgently dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz. It is reported that the unit can be sent there within three to four days.
Meanwhile, Michael George DeSombre, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the United States Department of State (DOS), stayed in South Korea and Japan from the 9th to the 15th, discussing cooperation related to the Iran situation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently denied that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre requested the deployment of South Korean troops.
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter