(News Focus) S. Korea faces high-stakes decision on potential Hormuz Strait deployment

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is facing a high-stakes decision on whether to send military assets to help secure the crucial Strait of Hormuz, one that could affect the Seoul-Washington alliance and ties with Iran and fuel further public debate over the sensitive issue at home.

President Lee Jae Myung's administration has been deliberating on whether to join efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the strait, as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Seoul, with Tehran warning of "serious consequences" for any participation in U.S.-led operations in the waterway.

Seoul has not made a decision on the matter yet, but it has sent an on-site investigation team to the United Arab Emirates to assess the overall Middle East situation, a sign that it is seriously weighing the possibility of military deployment to the region.

The consideration of Seoul's potential role in the strait came amid concerns that the Asian country's inaction could affect ongoing consultations with Washington over its push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and its drive to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) and other key alliance issues.

Analysts viewed the current situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz as another "inflection point" for the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

"It makes perfect sense for the Lee Administration to be seriously considering its options with respect to deploying military assets to the Persian Gulf in response to heightening U.S. pressure (or) requests for it to do so. I think they have been gaming this out for some time now," Rob Rapson, former acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, told Yonhap News Agency via email.

"Given the highly transactional nature of Trump 2.0 and its clear willingness to leverage any and all other elements of the alliance to get its way, I believe the South Korean government can find a way forward to oblige President Trump's demands, at some level, without necessarily compromising core Korean national interests and legal requirements," he added.

Trump has been putting pressure on South Korea to contribute to securing free and safe passage through the strait, a key shipping route for oil, natural gas, fertilizer and other commodities that Iran has effectively choked off amid the monthslong war with the United States and Israel.

In a Fox News interview late last month, Trump again mentioned South Korea for not providing help with securing the strait, saying, "I think you have to remember this stuff."

Earlier in April, he singled out South Korea, arguing that the Asian ally was "not helpful" to the U.S. despite Washington having stationed its troops "in harm's way" in the Asian country, which he stressed is located "right next to" North Korea's nuclear force.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with travel executives in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Sept. 2, 2026, in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)

Trump's comment came as Seoul is eager to build nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines, secure the rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel for peaceful civilian purposes, and regain wartime OPCON from Washington -- projects in which U.S. cooperation is critical.

Asked if there have been formal or informal discussions on Seoul's potential military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon remained noncommittal.

"We refer you to the ROK government regarding any potential deployment," a Pentagon official told Yonhap News Agency via email. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

"President Trump has stated publicly that he expects our allies to step up and support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

According to the Voice of America, a senior White House official said that the U.S. is still waiting for South Korea to commit resources to the Middle East, noting that the Asian country is among the largest importers of oil from the region.

Complicating Seoul's deliberations on the issue is Iran's stern warning against any potential military dispatch to the strait.

"Any other country maintaining a military presence or participating in operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz can only be regarded as directly supporting the perpetrators of the aggression, and it will lead to serious consequences," Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, wrote on X on Monday.

His social media post also carried a photo with a Korean-language message: "A dangerous choice comes with consequences."

This image, posted by Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson of the Iranian foreign ministry, on his X account, carries a Korean-language message reading, "A dangerous choice comes with consequences." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Seoul's deliberations on its potential deployment came as the Trump administration has been heaping both diplomatic and economic pressure on allies and partners to join its anti-Tehran campaign.

Aside from Trump's calls for naval assistance, his administration has been prodding allies to join its stepped-up pressure campaign against Iran, called "Operation Economic Outcast," warning that economic engagement with Tehran would run the risk of secondary sanctions -- penalties imposed on third parties for doing business with a sanctioned nation.

"This is going to be the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world, and we are going to (allies) and saying, 'You are either with us or against us,'" Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a CNBC interview last month.

He added, "It is time for our allies and the rest of the world to make a decision."

Domestic challenges also lie ahead of Seoul's decision on the deployment issue as some politicians, even from the ruling Democratic Party, have voiced their concerns.

"(We) cannot accept any deployment of our military to the Strait of Hormuz for any purpose," Democratic Party Rep. Lee Ki-heon wrote on Facebook last week.

"Even if non-combat forces are deployed, its nature is clearly participation in the war. We cannot send our citizens and military into an open-ended war."

Amid growing concerns at home, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday that it is in close consultation with the international community, including the U.S., to explore ways to contribute "substantively" to restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and peace and stability in the Middle East.

During a visit to France this week, South Korean President Lee said that Seoul and Paris will continue close cooperation to swiftly restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and global supply chain stability -- a remark that hinted at Seoul's move to deepen international collaboration on the matter.

The South Korean military is said to be reviewing a list of assets that it could deploy for potential operations in the Middle East if called upon.

The list reportedly includes maritime patrol aircraft, explosive ordnance disposal teams and unmanned equipment for mine detection and clearance.

A Navy logistics support ship was initially considered to be high on the list, but it has reportedly been moved down the list given that the operation of such a vessel requires some 100 sailors, among other issues.

South Korea has experience with military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.

In 2020, Seoul decided to deploy its naval forces to the strait for independent operations, temporarily expanding the anti-piracy Cheonghae unit's operational area to cover the tense waterway, amid pressure from Washington to contribute to its effort to protect what it regards as global commons in the Middle East.

This AP photo shows a motorboat passing a general cargo ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Sept. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr (END)

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(News Focus) S. Korea faces high-stakes decision on potential Hormuz Strait deployment

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

华盛顿，9月8日（韩联社）——韩国正面临着一项重大决定，即是否派遣军事力量帮助确保至关重要的霍尔木兹海峡的安全。这一决定可能会影响首尔与华盛顿的联盟以及与伊朗的关系，并引发国内对这一敏感问题的进一步公开辩论。

李在明总统的政府一直在考虑是否加入恢复海峡航行自由的行动，因为美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的政府一直在向首尔施加压力，德黑兰警告说，任何参与美国主导的海峡行动都将面临“严重后果”。

首尔方面尚未就此事作出决定，但已向阿拉伯联合酋长国派遣了现场调查小组，以评估中东整体局势，这表明韩国正在认真考虑向该地区部署军队的可能性。

在人们担心韩国的不作为可能会影响其与华盛顿就其获取核动力潜艇的努力、重新获得战时作战控制权 (OPCON) 以及其他关键联盟问题进行的磋商之际，人们开始考虑首尔在海峡中可能扮演的角色。

分析人士认为，霍尔木兹海峡目前的局势是韩美同盟的又一个“转折点”。

“面对美国日益增长的压力（或）要求，李明博政府认真考虑向波斯湾部署军事力量的选项，这完全合情合理。我认为他们已经为此筹划了一段时间了。”美国前驻韩国代理大使罗布·拉普森通过电子邮件告诉韩联社。

“鉴于特朗普2.0的高度交易性质，以及他显然愿意利用联盟中的任何其他因素来达到目的，我相信韩国政府可以找到一种方法，在某种程度上满足特朗普总统的要求，而不一定会损害韩国的核心国家利益和法律要求，”他补充道。

特朗普一直向韩国施压，要求其为确保海峡的自由安全通行做出贡献。海峡是石油、天然气、化肥和其他商品的重要运输通道，但在与美国和以色列长达数月的战争中，伊朗实际上已经切断了这条通道。

上个月底，特朗普在接受福克斯新闻采访时再次提到韩国没有为维护海峡安全提供帮助，他说：“我认为你们必须记住这些事。”

4 月初，他特别提到了韩国，认为尽管华盛顿已将军队“置于危险境地”，但这个亚洲盟友对美国“没有帮助”。他强调，韩国“就在”朝鲜核力量“旁边”。

这张由路透社发布的照片​​显示，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普于2026年9月2日在华盛顿白宫椭圆形办公室会见旅游业高管时发表讲话。（韩联社）

特朗普发表此番言论之际，首尔正急于建造核动力常规武装潜艇，获得为和平民用目的浓缩铀和再处理乏核燃料的权利，并从华盛顿手中重新获得战时作战控制权——在这些项目中，美国的合作至关重要。

当被问及首尔方面是否就向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队进行过正式或非正式的讨论时，五角大楼仍未作出明确表态。

一位五角大楼官员通过电子邮件告诉韩联社：“关于任何可能的部署，请咨询韩国政府。” ROK 指的是韩国的正式名称，即大韩民国。

“特朗普总统曾公开表示，他希望我们的盟友能够挺身而出，支持霍尔木兹海峡的航行自由，”他补充道。

据美国之音报道，一位白宫高级官员表示，美国仍在等待韩国向中东投入资源，并指出韩国是该地区最大的石油进口国之一。

伊朗严厉警告不要向海峡派遣任何军事力量，这使得首尔就此问题的审议变得更加复杂。

伊朗外交部发言人伊斯梅尔·巴盖伊周一在X网站上写道：“任何其他国家在波斯湾和霍尔木兹海峡保持军事存在或参与军事行动，都只能被视为直接支持侵略者，这将导致严重的后果。”

他的社交媒体帖子还附有一张照片，照片上有一条韩语信息：“危险的选择会带来后果。”

这张图片由伊朗外交部发言人伊斯梅尔·巴盖伊在其X账号上发布，图片附带一条韩文信息：“危险的选择会带来后果。”（图片非卖品）（韩联社）

首尔方面正在考虑是否部署该武器，与此同时，特朗普政府正对盟友和伙伴施加外交和经济压力，要求他们加入其反德黑兰行动。

除了特朗普呼吁海军提供援助外，他的政府还敦促盟友加入其加大力度对伊朗施压的行动，即“经济排斥行动”，并警告说，与德黑兰进行经济往来将面临二级制裁的风险——即对与受制裁国家进行贸易的第三方施加的惩罚。

“这将是世界历史上规模最大的协调一致的经济孤立，我们将对（盟友）说，‘你们要么与我们站在一起，要么与我们为敌’，”财政部长斯科特·贝森特上个月在接受 CNBC 采访时表示。

他补充说：“现在是我们的盟友和世界其他国家做出决定的时候了。”

在首尔就部署问题做出决定之前，国内也面临着挑战，因为一些政界人士，甚至包括执政的共同民主党人士，都表达了他们的担忧。

“（我们）不能接受以任何目的向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队，”民主党议员李基宪上周在脸书上写道。

“即使部署的是非战斗部队，其性质也显然是参与战争。我们不能让我们的公民和军队陷入一场无休止的战争。”

鉴于国内日益增长的担忧，首尔国防部周一表示，正在与包括美国在内的国际社会密切磋商，探讨如何为恢复霍尔木兹海峡的航行自由以及中东的和平与稳定做出“实质性”贡献。

本周访问法国期间，韩国总统李明博表示，首尔和巴黎将继续密切合作，迅速恢复霍尔木兹海峡的航行自由和全球供应链的稳定——这一表态暗示首尔将就此问题深化国际合作。

据称，韩国军方正在审查一份资产清单，以便在接到命令时部署到中东地区执行潜在行动。

据报道，该清单包括海上巡逻飞机、爆炸物处理小组和用于水雷探测和清除的无人设备。

海军后勤支援舰最初被认为是优先考虑的项目，但据报道，由于操作此类舰艇需要大约 100 名水兵以及其他一些问题，该项目的优先级已被降低。

韩国在霍尔木兹海峡拥有军事部署经验。

2020 年，在华盛顿施压要求其为保护其在中东的全球公域做出贡献之际，首尔决定向海峡部署海军力量进行独立行动，暂时扩大了清海反海盗部队的行动区域，以覆盖这条局势紧张的水道。

这张美联社照片显示，2026年9月6日，一艘摩托艇驶过停泊在伊朗阿巴斯港附近霍尔木兹海峡的一艘杂货船。（韩联社）

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（新闻焦点）韩国面临是否在霍尔木兹海峡部署武器的高风险决定。