South Korean Opposition Parties Warn Against Possible Hormuz Deployment

Talk of sending South Korean forces to the Strait of Hormuz has triggered immediate opposition from minor progressive parties, even as the presidential office says no decision has been made.

The presidential office said on the fourth that a possible deployment remained at the review stage. The Innovation Party’s floor leader, Kim Jun-hyung, called deployment a line the government must never cross. He argued that placing a South Korean warship in the middle of a military confrontation could expose the citizens and troops the country is meant to protect to the dangers of war.

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Deployment is a line the government must never cross.

Kim also criticized the government for considering participation in what he described as an illegal war of aggression. Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute, cited Article 5 of South Korea’s Constitution in saying that the country renounces wars of aggression.

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The president must answer directly. He must clearly declare that South Korea will not deploy forces to Hormuz.

Progressive Party leader Kim Jong-hoon demanded that President Lee Jae-myung clearly declare that South Korea would not deploy forces to Hormuz. He also called for the government to disclose who was considering the plan and who would be responsible for it.

The Democratic Party has not issued an official position. Its floor spokesperson said the issue should first be assessed and discussed by the National Assembly’s Defense Committee. Democratic lawmaker Lee Ki-heon, however, said he would oppose parliamentary approval, including deployments involving reconnaissance assets or logistical support. He argued that even noncombat forces would amount to participation in war.

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Even if they are noncombat forces, their essence is clearly participation in war.