South Korea Prepares Possible Hormuz Military Deployment, Media Reports Say

South Korea is preparing procedures that could allow it to send military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports in several South Korean media outlets. The government is considering submitting a consent motion to parliament this month after a cabinet review.

The options reportedly include a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel, or a unit capable of detecting and clearing mines. Seoul has also discussed the possible scale and nature of its contribution with the United States, Britain and France.

The presidential Blue House pushed back against reports that the government had already decided on a deployment. It said South Korea had been discussing practical ways to contribute to freedom of navigation in the strait, but added that claims a deployment had been settled were “different from the facts”.

The reports come after U.S. President Donald Trump said in an August social media post that he had reduced U.S.-South Korean military exercises partly because Seoul had declined to help Washington in its war against Iran.