It was confirmed on the 8th that the Ministry of National Defense sent a field investigation team to..

* It has been translated using AI President Lee Jae Myung greets French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris on the 8th (local time). News 1 It was confirmed on the 8th that the Ministry of National Defense sent a field investigation team to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid mounting pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz. The government drew the line, saying, "It is not an investigation based on the premise of dispatch," but inside and outside the military, observers say that the preliminary review of the possibility of sending troops has begun in earnest. President Lee Jae Myung, who is on a state visit to France, discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron how to "military contribution" to the free passage of the Strait of Hormuz. As the pros and cons over the dispatch of troops are openly expressed within the Blue House, related discussions are expected to begin in earnest after President Lee returns home. The Ministry of National Defense said on the same day, "We sent an investigation team to the site to understand the situation in Hormuz," but added, "The investigation team is intended to understand the situation and safety situation in the region, and this investigation is not based on actual dispatch." "It is not true that the United States has requested a deadline for the dispatch of our assets to the Strait of Hormuz," he stressed. He refuted some media reports that the U.S. made a request to the effect that "the U.S. should complete the dispatch by November." According to multiple military sources, the Ministry of Defense recently sent an investigation team to the UAE to examine local conditions. The Ministry of National Defense drew the line for now, saying that the investigation team was not based on actual dispatch. However, many in and outside the military view the dispatch of the investigation team as a preliminary work to draft a bill to send troops to the National Assembly. The government and military authorities are expected to set specific policies such as the availability, size, and mission based on the results of the due diligence team's activities. Disagreements within the Blue House and the government seem to be expressed over the dispatch of troops to the Strait of Hormuz. Hong Ik-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, appeared on a YouTube broadcast on the same day, suggesting that there are differences within the Blue House and the government over whether the South Korean government will contribute to the Strait of Hormuz. "There are some people who think they should play a role in the Korea-U.S. relationship, and there are some internal views that are somewhat concerned about it," Chief Hong said. "We need to discuss more after the president visits." In the midst of this, President Lee said he would speed up the signing of a mutual military support agreement with France. Through this, defense and diplomatic security cooperation will be further advanced. Diplomats predict that the military support agreement, which will be signed between the two countries, may have considered the possibility of the South Korean military sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz. Through President Lee's visit to France, the two countries also agreed to strengthen nuclear and energy cooperation, including the development of small modular reactors (SMRs). President Lee had a summit with French President Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. At the end of the summit, he made a joint press announcement △ Leap in defense and security cooperation △ Achieving $20 billion in trade by 2030 △ Cooperation between artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, space, nuclear, and bio △ Deepen cultural cooperation △ Deepen international peace and prosperity efforts. In particular, regarding the defense and security sectors, he said, "By signing the protocol to revise the Military Secret Information Protection Agreement, we will reorganize the institutional framework to further refine the information exchange system." They also decided to significantly increase bilateral trade. They agreed to strengthen economic and industrial cooperation with the goal of achieving $20 billion (about 27 trillion won) in trade by 2030. The business round table held after the summit was attended by Ryu Jin, chairman of the Korea Business Association, Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, Koo Ja-eun, chairman of LS, and Cho Hyun-joon, chairman of Hyosung. It also seeks energy cooperation with France, a nuclear powerhouse. President Lee said, "We decided to deepen cooperation in terms of next-generation nuclear reactor development and mid- to long-term supply chain diversification by signing additional cooperation documents in the field of nuclear research and development and fuel supply that further developed nuclear cycle cooperation agreed in April." [Reporter SUNG SEUNG HUN in Paris / Reporter SUNG HUN in Seoul] understanding the situation