The Callisto tanker sits anchored in Port Sultan Qaboos as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 12. This photo is not related to the story. (Reuters-Yonhap)
The Callisto tanker sits anchored in Port Sultan Qaboos as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 12. This photo is not related to the story. (Reuters-Yonhap)

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo called for Korea to consider dispatching naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, calling the request — now apparently withdrawn — from US President Donald Trump a "turning point" for the South Korea-US alliance.

The four-term People Power Party lawmaker said in a Facebook post Thursday that a decision to dispatch vessels to the war-affected strait could serve as leverage in advancing bilateral discussions related to South Korea's greater independence in civil use of nuclear power upon the United States' approval.

"We must transition the (US) request for naval vessels into an opportunity to secure strategic assets for national security," said Ahn, who is a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

"In return for (the active response), we must be assured of a speedy process in South Korea's construction of nuclear-powered submarines and its greater authority for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing."

Moreover, the dispatch of South Korean naval vessels could be a boon to South Korea, given that the blockage of the strait left dozens of South Korean vessels stranded and disrupted the crude oil market, as well as the crude-related supply chain. Ahn said this "has taken a toll on the South Korean economy," adding South Korea is therefore one of the important stakeholders in the Middle East crisis.

He implied that rebuffing or responding passively to the request could renew US pressure on South Korea's trade and economic sectors.

"We should remember that Trump takes military, economy, trade and commerce into consideration altogether in approaching foreign policy, seeking a 'package' deal," said Ahn, adding the South Korea-US deal reached last year showed how pressuring a foreign country's investment in the US was associated with lower US tariffs.

Ahn's comments came after US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Tuesday that the US "no longer needs assistance" from NATO and other countries to which he requested vessel deployment, including South Korea.


consnow@heraldcorp.com