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🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

U.S. Says It Is Still Waiting for South Korea to Deploy Middle East Assets

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Trump administration said it is still waiting for South Korea to deploy resources to the Middle East in support of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Seoul has not decided whether to send forces and is reviewing options, including noncombat assets such as maritime patrol aircraft and logistics support ships.
  • South Korean officials said any contribution must not weaken the country’s readiness to defend the Korean Peninsula.

Washington says it is still waiting for South Korea to send resources to the Middle East, as Seoul weighs how to contribute to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without committing to a troop deployment.

A senior U.S. administration official said South Korea remains under consideration because it is one of the biggest buyers of Middle Eastern crude oil. “We are still waiting for South Korea to deploy resources to the region,” the official said in response to questions about Seoul’s review of a possible dispatch to the strait.

President Donald Trump has urged South Korea, Japan and other major importers of Middle Eastern oil to take direct action to secure the waterway since the military confrontation with Iran began. He has also repeatedly criticized Seoul after President Lee Jae-myung publicly said last month that he had rejected a U.S. request to send forces.

We are still waiting for South Korea to deploy resources to the region.

· Senior U.S. administration officialThe official described Washington’s position on Seoul’s possible contribution to security around the Strait of Hormuz.

The South Korean government has not made a final decision. A senior official at the presidential office said the free passage of ships through Hormuz is “extremely important to our national interest” and that Seoul had participated in consultations since the United States proposed an international coalition for the waterway. Britain and France have already sent ships to the area, the official said.

South Korea has repeatedly expressed a willingness to make a practical contribution, taking account of its dependence on the strait and its national interests. But the official said it was too early to discuss the next step in detail. Any action, the official added, must not significantly damage readiness on the Korean Peninsula. Government discussions have reportedly focused first on sending noncombat assets, including maritime patrol aircraft and a logistics support ship, to assist U.S. warships operating around the strait.

Freedom of passage through Hormuz is extremely important to our national interest.

· Senior South Korean presidential office officialThe official explained why Seoul continues to review a contribution.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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