Lee Hae-chan "Dispatching Troops to Hormuz, an Inevitable Decision... Korean Residents' Safety and National Interest at Stake"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Wondara and Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that the government's decision to dispatch troops to the Hormuz Strait was "an unavoidable decision."

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 22nd, Lee said, "Yesterday, the government decided to dispatch troops to the Middle East's Hormuz Strait," adding, "Since the safety of the people and national interests are directly at stake, I believe it was an unavoidable decision."

He explained, "Approximately 25,000 Korean residents living in the Middle East are in a situation where their safety could be seriously threatened, and the Hormuz Strait is a strategic point for South Korea's economy, with 70% of imported crude oil passing through this area and about 170 vessels annually, including our ships, making approximately 900 passages."

He also said, "(Since this is an independent dispatch) command authority lies with our military," adding, "I hope the Cheonghae Unit will do its best in cooperation with the international community to ensure the safety of our citizens, protect vessels, and maintain stable oil supply."

Regarding the livelihood pledges that the Democratic Party planned to announce that morning, he said, "Today, on the occasion of Seollal, we plan to announce livelihood policies for small business owners and self-employed individuals," adding, "As the Lunar New Year holiday ends, we will enter the full-scale general election phase, and we will prepare transparent candidate nominations and livelihood pledges that the public can feel."

Lee said, "Last year's economic growth rate was 2%," adding, "Considering the difficulties, achieving 2% growth is considered a decent performance." He continued, "The conflict between the U.S. and China has somewhat been resolved, and the semiconductor market is recovering," adding, "This year, we will do our best to show results that are definitely better than last year."

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