South Korea is reviewing the possible deployment of military personnel to the Strait of Hormuz as one of several options to help ensure safe passage through the waterway, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.
A senior presidential official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any deployment would be assessed based on two key considerations: defense readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal requirements. The official stressed that no decision has been made.
The remarks came after local broadcaster JTBC reported Thursday that the government was reviewing troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and that it would “not be long” before a deployment consent motion could be submitted to the National Assembly.
Responding to the report, the official said the government had not settled on any particular course of action, while reiterating Seoul’s position that it would make “substantive and military contributions” to securing safe maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Nothing has been decided, but we are continuing to review the options,” the official said.
The official said military contributions could take a variety of forms and that the government was examining a broad range of possibilities.
“Some (military contributions) involve participation in combat, while others are noncombat roles. There could also be various options related to search operations,” the official said. “We are reviewing them comprehensively.”
The official also noted that "troop deployment" can even refer to the overseas dispatchment of a very small number of military personnel.
“‘Troop deployment’ is a term stipulated in the Constitution,” the official said. “So, for example, if even one or two service members were sent to the area, whether in a combat or noncombat role, that would be classified as a troop deployment.”
The official sought to distinguish that legal definition from the broader public perception of troop deployment as necessarily involving combat or a sizable military force.
“When people hear the term ‘troop deployment,’ they may immediately associate it with combat or the deployment of a large number of troops,” the official said. “Against that backdrop, what I can say is that there could be a variety of options, and we are reviewing them.”
“Any substantive contribution” by South Korea in the Strait of Hormuz, the official said, would first have to be assessed against the country’s military readiness on the Korean Peninsula.
“We are reviewing various possibilities in terms of our readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula,” the official said. “We believe there may be some room for maneuver as long as it does not significantly undermine our readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula.”
Domestic legal requirements would also have to be taken into account. Under Article 60, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, the National Assembly has the right to consent to the overseas deployment of South Korean armed forces.
“Domestic legal procedures ultimately mean consultations with the National Assembly and obtaining its consent,” the official said. “We have not reached that stage yet.”
The official reiterated that South Korea had been actively involved in consultations from the outset when Britain, France and the United States proposed international cooperation to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
For instance, in April, Lee pledged to make a “tangible contribution” to ensuring safe passage through the strait during a multilateral summit chaired by the leaders of Britain and France.
The official also said President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron could discuss international efforts to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz during their upcoming summit on Tuesday.
“It would be difficult to rule out that possibility, given that France was one of the first countries to actively push for international cooperation to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” the official said when asked whether the issue could be placed on the summit agenda. “France has also held consultations with us on the matter, and it was discussed at the previous summit as well.”
The official underscored the strategic importance of the waterway to South Korea.
“Freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is extremely important to our national interests,” the official said.
“Nearly 70 percent of the crude oil we import from the Middle East passes through the strait, and any disruption there would deal a significant blow to our economic security and to the broader economy.”
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
