BREAKING: Cabinet approves motion to extend Cheonghae Unit deployment and expand its operational area

[Financial News]  A revised motion for consent to extend the deployment of ROK armed forces units to waters off Somalia and offshore waters south of Oman (the revised motion to extend the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit), which would expand the unit’s operational area to offshore waters south of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz and additionally deploy maritime patrol aircraft and other assets, was approved at a Cabinet meeting on the 10th.
At the 48th Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Lee Jae-myung at Cheong Wa Dae that day, the motion to extend the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit was deliberated and approved.
The motion to extend the Cheonghae Unit’s deployment provides for expanding its operational area from its existing area around the Gulf of Aden off Somalia to offshore waters south of Oman.
The additional assets to be deployed include one P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, and unmanned mine-clearing equipment. The reinforcements will comprise 30 EOD team members and 45 personnel to operate the maritime patrol aircraft. This will bring the number of deployed personnel to 395, an increase of 75 from the current total.
The motion approved that day will be submitted to the National Assembly after receiving presidential approval. If it passes a plenary session of the National Assembly, the Cheonghae Unit’s deployment period will be extended through December 31 of next year. The unit’s current deployment deadline is December 31 of this year.

[email protected] Choi Jong-geun, Lee Jong-yoon Reporter