Government and Ruling Party at Odds Over ‘Deployment to the Strait of Hormuz’

As the government considers deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, as requested by the United States, public opposition emerged from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), with lawmakers declaring that they were "categorically opposed to deployment." While the government left the possibility open by using the term "contribution" instead of deployment, DPK lawmakers drew a line at direct military involvement.
At a plenary meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly on the 17th, DPK lawmaker Woo Won-shik said, "This time, it is actually a war in which the United States was the aggressor." He emphasized, "We could be driven into a situation where the lives and safety of our young people may be put at risk. We must respond based on principle."
Fellow DPK lawmaker Lee Ki-heon also said, "I am categorically opposed to directly participating in the war." He added, "There are approximately 2,000 Korean nationals abroad in Qatar, near the Strait of Hormuz. Given the national interest and the safety of Korean nationals abroad, I cannot possibly agree to the deployment itself." Instead, he proposed having Korean companies participate in restoring oil, pipeline and shipbuilding facilities after the war, arguing, "We should contribute by participating in postwar reconstruction. We must not neglect relations with Iran and decide to deploy troops directly."
The government maintained that no decision had yet been made on whether to deploy troops. Park Yunju, First Vice Foreign Minister, explained, "Rather than viewing this issue primarily from the perspective of United States–South Korea relations, we are basically looking at it in terms of the safety of navigation, the security of energy supply routes, and the safety of Korean residents and citizens in the region." In particular, Park stated, "What we are basically discussing with the international community is 'contribution,'" adding, "We have been examining what contribution we can make to restoring stability."