SEOUL, Oct 16 (Reuters) – South Korea is reviewing an expansion of its military operations in the Middle East, the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper reported on Thursday, as the US ally faces pressure from President Donald Trump to provide support for the war in Iran.
Seoul is weighing expanding the operational area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit, which was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in 2009, to include the Gulf of Oman, which links to the Strait of Hormuz, the newspaper said, without naming sources.
Here are details of the report:
• The administration of President Lee Jae Myung plans to submit a motion to parliament to extend the unit’s mission, which is set to expire at the end of this year, the report said.
• The government was also considering sending a frigate to the region to reinforce operations, the paper said.
• South Korea’s Defence Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that the government was reviewing whether to send a motion to parliament on an extension of the unit’s service before it expires on December 31, 2026.
• Nothing had been decided on details of the extension of the anti-piracy unit’s operations, the ministry said.
• The situation in the Gulf of Aden was worsening with pirate activity up sharply from a year ago, the statement said.
• The Cheonghae unit currently includes a 4,400-ton-class destroyer, a maritime operations helicopter, up to three rigid-hull inflatable boats and around 300 service members, according to broadcaster YTN.
• Trump has criticised Seoul for what he called insufficient support for the Iran war and scaled back major joint military drills by the two countries’ armed forces this summer, a move that unsettled the US ally.
• President Lee said on September 18 he would not deploy military assets to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into conflict, but said Seoul was reviewing whether to play a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the region.
(Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)
