Blue House weighs expanding Cheonghae Unit’s operational scope and adding patrol aircraft, while maintaining a principle of non-involvement in combat

[Financial News] The Blue House said on the 30th that it was considering expanding the Cheonghae Unit’s operational scope and adding patrol aircraft as part of international cooperation to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. It said, however, that no specific measures had been decided and that it was exploring ways to contribute under the principle of not becoming involved in a war or combat situation.
Asked by reporters that day whether it was considering expanding the Cheonghae Unit’s operational scope to Oman and adding patrol aircraft, a senior Blue House official said, “The measures you just mentioned are indeed within the scope of our review.” The official added that no decision had yet been made and no specific course of action had been set.
“We are a country with an overwhelmingly high dependence on crude oil from the Middle East,” the senior official said. “There are only three countries in East Asia with dependence as high as ours anywhere in the world: South Korea, Japan and China.” The official added that South Korea had a stake in free and safe passage through the strait, explaining, “We have approached this with the position that we would act alongside the international community, and have communicated with the United Kingdom, France and the United States on that basis.”
The official also cited examples of how various countries deploy military assets. “The United Kingdom and France, as well as Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, are sending warships, and Japan is also sending warships,” the official said. “Many countries operate patrol aircraft, and Japan does too.” Australia, too, has deployed an airborne early warning and control aircraft to Jordan since the situation in Hormuz and is cooperating, the official said.
The senior Blue House official emphasized the principle that “we do not become involved in a war or combat situation,” saying the government was considering how to contribute to international cooperation. At the same time, the official repeatedly stressed the need to contribute, saying it would be difficult to play no role at all in the international community.
“The U.S. military is currently providing escorts or defense for passage,” the senior official said, adding, “The United States has very little dependence on Hormuz.” The official continued, “European countries’ typical dependence on Hormuz is 20%, while ours is 60–70%, and that is the broader international context.”
Accordingly, based on the principle that it will not, under any circumstances, become involved in or intervene in a war in the Middle East, the Blue House is considering measures such as strengthening and expanding the Cheonghae Unit’s role. The official said, “The review is not over; we are still reviewing it, and what conclusion will be reached remains open.”
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter