South Korea must weigh Hormuz troop deployment risks and alliance interests

Editorials Korea must weigh alliance demands, energy security and troop safety as political opposition to a Strait of Hormuz deployment grows. The government is reportedly drawing up plans to deploy military assets, including maritime patrol aircraft and logistics support ships, to the Strait of Hormuz at the request of the United States. The 11,000-ton ROKS Soyang, a large combat support ship that supplies fleets with fuel, ammunition and other materiel, is seen during its commissioning ceremony in 2018. YONHAP Signs are emerging that the government's move to deploy Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz could revive the deep national divisions seen over the 2003 dispatch to the Iraq War. Democratic Party Rep. Lee Ki-heon, a member of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, became the first ruling party lawmaker to publicly oppose the move, saying, 'Under no circumstances can the deployment of our troops to the Strait of Hormuz be accepted.' The Rebuilding Korea Party and other progressive parties are also strongly opposed. The DP leadership remains cautious because the government has yet to finalize its plan. But as in 2003, a familiar political divide is emerging in the National Assembly, with the opposition supporting deployment while the majority ruling bloc shows signs of splitting. The government had previously responded to a U.S. request by saying Korea would contribute alongside the international community after the war ended. Its shift toward considering deployment before the conflict ends is, in many respects, understandable. Major security and trade issues are intertwined, including implementation of investment projects in the United States, additional tariff pressure, the transfer of wartime operational control, construction of nuclear-powered submarines, permission for uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing and renewed dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. Korea-U.S. relations have reached a point where progress is difficult without resolving some of these issues. Nor can Korea ignore attacks on its tankers while the country remains heavily dependent on Middle Eastern energy. More broadly, intensifying U.S.-China strategic competition means the alliance is moving beyond an era when each side sought to give less and receive more. Korea must find ways to contribute while securing reciprocal benefits. The National Assembly should consider this larger context and cooperate across party lines rather than fuel ideological divisions. At the same time, the government must design any deployment around current military conditions in the Strait of Hormuz. A senior Iranian official has warned that a Korean deployment would be regarded as participation in the war. Iranian forces attacked a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyers last week with ballistic missiles and drones. Sending noncombat assets such as a logistics support ship or maritime patrol aircraft, among the options reportedly under consideration, would not guarantee that Korean forces escape attack. Any deployment plan must therefore ensure that Korean troops have adequate means to exercise self-defense. The government and National Assembly must assess the risks soberly, protect service members and seek a realistic course that advances the national interest while sustaining and strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance. This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.