Presidential office says no decision reached on troop deployment to Hormuz; review ongoing

The presidential office said Friday no final decision has been reached on sending military forces to the Strait of Hormuz, and a review is still under way. A presidential official said Korea may be able to contribute to freedom of navigation there if such steps do not weaken defense readiness. The official said the discussion has not reached the stage of seeking parliamentary approval and that all options are under comprehensive review.

The presidential official said military contributions could include combat forces, noncombatant and search forces, and other options.

The government has not reached the stage of seeking parliamentary approval for any Hormuz deployment.

The official said the issue is being considered alongside Korea’s readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and local legal procedures.

Published Sep 4, 2026 11:36 am KST

Updated Sep 4, 2026 2:19 pm KST

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz are seen from Musandam, Oman, Wednesday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap

The presidential office said Friday no final decision has been reached on sending military forces to the Strait of Hormuz, saying a review is still under way.

Korea may be able to make military contributions to global efforts to ensure free navigation through the strait, to the extent that such contributions do not compromise its defense readiness, if it decides to do so, a presidential official said.

The remarks follow media reports that the government is preparing to seek parliamentary approval for a plan to dispatch military forces to the strait, including a combat support ship.

U.S. President Donald Trump has recently ratcheted up apparent pressure on Seoul to make military contributions to the critical waterway, repeatedly accusing the ally of turning down his request.

"In order to make tangible contributions to the Strait of Hormuz, this should first be considered in light of our readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula, as well as in accordance with local legal procedures," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"We are thinking that we may be able to (make contributions) within the scope that does not compromise our readiness posture," the official said, adding that the ongoing discussion, however, has not reached the stage of seeking parliamentary approval and that no final decision has been made.

The official highlighted that military contributions could mean not only combat forces but also noncombatant and search forces, as well as other "options," saying that the government is conducting a "comprehensive" review of all such options.

"When you hear troop deployment, you tend to associate it with combat, but that should not necessarily be the case," the official added.

The official denied speculation that the Hormuz deployment issue has put a snag on the ongoing Seoul-Washington negotiations to push forward with their economic and defense agreement reached last year as part of a broader tariff deal.

The presidential official, however, acknowledged that the bilateral negotiations are not going well and that matters concerning semiconductors are also being discussed as part of the negotiations.

Earlier this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the Trump administration is working to develop a "targeted" and "thoughtful" tariff policy for semiconductors.

总统府周五表示，尚未就向霍尔木兹海峡派遣军队做出最终决定，相关评估仍在进行中。一位总统府官员表示，如果此举不会削弱韩国的国防战备，韩国或许能够为维护该海峡的航行自由做出贡献。该官员还表示，相关讨论尚未进入寻求国会批准的阶段，所有方案都在全面评估之中。

总统府官员表示，军事援助可能包括作战部队、非战斗部队和搜救部队以及其他选项。

政府尚未达到就霍尔木兹号导弹部署寻求议会批准的阶段。

该官员表示，韩国正在结合其在朝鲜半岛的战备状态和当地法律程序来考虑这个问题。

发布于2026年9月4日上午11:36（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月4日下午2:19（韩国标准时间）

周三（当地时间），从阿曼穆桑达姆港拍摄到霍尔木兹海峡附近的船只。（路透社-韩联社）

总统办公室周五表示，尚未就向霍尔木兹海峡派遣军队做出最终决定，并称相关审查仍在进行中。

一位总统府官员表示，如果韩国决定这样做，只要不损害其国防战备，韩国或许能够为确保海峡自由航行的全球努力做出军事贡献。

此前有媒体报道称，政府正准备向议会申请批准一项计划，向海峡派遣军队，其中包括一艘作战支援舰。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普最近加大了对首尔的明显施压，要求其为这条重要水道提供军事援助，并多次指责这个盟友拒绝了他的请求。

这位不愿透露姓名的官员表示：“为了对霍尔木兹海峡做出切实贡献，首先应该根据我们在朝鲜半岛的战备状态以及当地的法律程序来考虑这个问题。”

这位官员表示：“我们认为我们或许能够在不损害我们战备状态的范围内做出贡献。”他还补充说，目前正在进行的讨论尚未达到寻求议会批准的阶段，也没有做出最终决定。

该官员强调，军事贡献不仅包括作战部队，还包括非战斗人员和搜救部队，以及其他“选项”，并表示政府正在对所有此类选项进行“全面”审查。

“一提到部队部署，人们往往会联想到战斗，但这并不一定意味着要部署部队，”这位官员补充道。

该官员否认了有关霍尔木兹号部署问题阻碍了首尔和华盛顿之间正在进行的谈判的猜测，该谈判旨在推进去年作为更广泛的关税协议的一部分而达成的经济和国防协议。

然而，这位总统官员承认，双边谈判进展并不顺利，半导体相关问题也在谈判中进行讨论。

本周早些时候，美国商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克表示，特朗普政府正在努力制定一项针对半导体的“有针对性”和“深思熟虑”的关税政策。