Lee rules out Korean troop deployment in Iran war

President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that Korea will not deploy troops or military assets that would involve the country in the Iran war. He said Korea will keep its noninvolvement principle unchanged while considering only minimum activities to protect commercial vessels, crude oil routes and citizens. Lee also said the government is weighing stronger Cheonghae Unit activities near the Strait of Hormuz, but not combat troop deployment or service members under foreign command.

Lee said Korea will not send combat troops or military assets into the Iran war.

He said the government needs minimum activities to protect commercial vessels, crude oil shipping routes and the safety of Korean citizens.

The Cheonghae Unit is already deployed near the Strait of Hormuz to respond to threats to ships, shipping routes and Korean nationals.

Published Sep 18, 2026 11:27 am KST

Updated Sep 18, 2026 11:44 am KST

President weighs expanded Hormuz protection mission

President Lee Jae Myung takes questions from reporters during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that Korea will not deploy troops or military assets in a way that would involve the country in the ongoing war involving Iran, reaffirming Seoul’s principle of noninvolvement.

“There will be no deployment that involves or intervenes in the war. I can state that clearly,” Lee said during a press conference. “We will not make such a troop deployment or dispatch military assets. We have upheld that principle so far and it will remain unchanged.”

Lee said, however, that Korea needs to undertake “minimum activities” to protect its commercial vessels, crude oil shipping routes and the lives and safety of its citizens, as other countries are doing. He acknowledged concerns that the boundary between such protective activities and involvement in the conflict could become blurred.

Lee noted the government is considering strengthening the activities of the Cheonghae Unit, which is already deployed in waters near the Strait of Hormuz to respond to threats to ships, shipping routes and Korean nationals.

But he stressed that Korea would not send combat troops or place Korean service members under foreign command in a way that could put them at risk.

“To make it clear once again, there will be no deployment to the war,” he said.

韩国总统李在明周五表示，韩国不会部署任何可能使国家卷入伊朗战争的军队或军事资产。他表示，韩国将坚持不介入伊朗战争的原则，仅考虑采取最低限度的行动来保护商船、原油运输路线和公民安全。李在明还表示，政府正在考虑加强清海部队在霍尔木兹海峡附近的活动，但不会部署作战部队或派遣受外国指挥的军事人员。

李表示，韩国不会向伊朗战争派遣作战部队或军事装备。

他表示，政府需要采取最低限度的措施来保护商船、原油运输路线和韩国公民的安全。

清海部队已部署在霍尔木兹海峡附近，以应对针对船舶、航道和韩国国民的威胁。

发布于2026年9月18日上午11:27（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月18日上午11:44（韩国标准时间）

总统考虑扩大霍尔木兹海峡保护任务

周五，韩国总统李在明在首尔青瓦台举行记者会，回答记者提问。（韩联社）

韩国总统李在明周五表示，韩国不会以任何方式部署军队或军事资产，使国家卷入正在进行的伊朗战争，重申了首尔的不介入原则。

李在新闻发布会上明确表示：“我们不会进行任何涉及或干预战争的部署。我可以肯定地说，我们不会进行此类部队部署或派遣军事力量。我们一直坚持这一原则，并将继续坚持下去。”

李表示，韩国需要像其他国家一样，采取“最低限度的行动”来保护其商船、原油运输航线以及公民的生命安全。他也承认，人们担心此类保护行动与卷入冲突之间的界限可能会变得模糊不清。

李指出，政府正在考虑加强清海部队的活动，该部队已部署在霍尔木兹海峡附近水域，以应对对船舶、航道和韩国国民的威胁。

但他强调，韩国不会派遣作战部队，也不会将韩国军人置于外国指挥之下，以免他们面临风险。

“再次明确一点，不会有任何人员被派往战场，”他说。