South Korea eyes Hormuz military deployment to support freedom of navigation

South Korea is considering sending military assets to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Any move would need parliamentary approval and comes amid talks with allies and pressure from the United States.South Korea is considering sending military assets to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.South Korea is preparing to deploy military assets to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and aims to dispatch them before the end of the year, South Korean media reported late on Thursday, citing government and military sources.Several South Korean media outlets reported that the government was preparing procedures to seek parliamentary approval for the deployment. The government plans to submit a consent motion to parliament this month after a cabinet review, the reports said.The government is considering options including sending a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel or a mine detection and clearance unit. It has also been discussing the scale and nature of a potential contribution with countries including the United States, Britain and France, according to the reports.South Korea's presidential Blue House said Seoul had been discussing practical ways to contribute to freedom of navigation in the strait. However, it said reports that the government had settled on a deployment were "different from the facts". US President Donald Trump said in an August social media post that he had scaled back US-South Korea joint military exercises in part because South Korea had declined to help the United States in the war against Iran.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 05:29 IST