Government Deploys Troops to Hormuz Strait... "Iran Expresses Concern Over Deployment Decision"

Government Gave Prior Notice to Iran Last Weekend... Senior Foreign Ministry Official Says "Decision Based on Our National Interest"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Iran has reportedly expressed concerns over the South Korean government's de facto decision to independently dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters on the afternoon of the 21st, "We informed Iran of this decision through diplomatic channels last weekend," adding, "Iran fundamentally opposes the presence of foreign military forces or vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and has therefore expressed concerns."

The official also stated that since this troop dispatch decision could affect South Korea-Iran relations, the government plans to continuously manage the situation. The official said, "We will manage South Korea-Iran relations. We have our national interests. We must protect our citizens and ensure the safety of vessels. Iran has its own stance, but we made this decision based on our national interests."

It was also reported that Iran showed a similar response, emphasizing the need to properly manage South Korea-Iran relations. The official explained, "We must continue efforts to manage South Korea-Iran relations, and Iran primarily shares the same position."

Furthermore, the official added, "We made this decision because of national interests. These interests include international necessities. It is a comprehensive decision, and we hope related countries understand our position well."

On the same day, the government decided to dispatch the Cheonghae Unit to the Strait of Hormuz area to conduct independent operations.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "Considering the current Middle East situation, 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 South Korean military, it will carry out missions to protect citizens and vessels, the Ministry explained.

This is a form of 'independent dispatch' that does not participate in the IMSC (International Maritime Security Construct - the Hormuz Security Coalition) desired by the United States, meaning the Cheonghae Unit will conduct operations independently. This is the same approach 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 region without participating in the escort coalition.

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

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