Cheonghae Unit to Conduct Independent Operation in the Strait of Hormuz

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] The Cheonghae Unit will be dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz area to conduct independent operations.

On the 21st, the Ministry of National Defense announced, "Considering the current situation in the Middle East, our government has decided to temporarily expand the deployment area of the Cheonghae Unit to ensure the safety of our citizens and the freedom of navigation for vessels."

Accordingly, the deployment area of the Cheonghae Unit will be expanded from the Gulf of Aden to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf), and under the command of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, it will carry out missions to protect citizens and vessels, the Ministry of National Defense explained.

This is a form of "independent dispatch" that does not participate in the IMSC (International Maritime Security Construct - Strait of Hormuz Security Coalition) requested by the United States, meaning the Cheonghae Unit will conduct operations independently. This is the same method as Japan. Japan decided to dispatch one escort ship of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and one P-3C patrol aircraft (with about 260 personnel) to the Middle East waters without participating in the escort coalition.

The Ministry of National Defense explained, "Even if the Cheonghae Unit independently conducts operations in the expanded deployment area, it plans to cooperate with the IMSC when necessary."

A Ministry of National Defense official said, "The threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden is on the decline," adding, "The Cheonghae Unit, which used Salalah Port in Oman as its main logistics supply port, has changed its method since July last year to loading military supplies while traveling between Muscat Port in Oman and Djibouti Port."

At 5:30 p.m. on the same day at Muscat Port in Oman, the 31st Cheonghae Unit Wang Geon Ship (4,400 tons) will expand its operational area to the Strait of Hormuz and carry out its mission. The Wang Geon Ship is composed of 300 personnel, including a search and inspection team made up of special forces (UDT) soldiers and an aviation unit operating maritime operation helicopters (Lynx).

Instead of participating in the IMSC, the government decided to dispatch two liaison officers from the Cheonghae Unit to the IMSC headquarters.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "Through this decision, we expect to secure the safety of our citizens and vessels in the Middle East region and contribute to the international community's efforts to ensure freedom of navigation."

The Ministry of National Defense explained the Korean government's position to the U.S. Department of Defense, and it is known that the U.S. side welcomed and expressed expectations for Korea's decision. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified Iran through diplomatic channels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.