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Park Chan-kyong

South Korea is inching closer to a potentially risky military role in the Strait of Hormuz after sending a fact-finding team to the Middle East, with Seoul weighing US pressure to contribute against the threat of Iranian retaliation.
The mission underscores the dilemma Seoul faces over supporting a major security ally and avoiding being dragged into a conflict it did not start. Observers argue that any deployment should be delayed, limited and conducted through a broader coalition rather than under American command.
The South Korean team left for the United Arab Emirates over the weekend and was reportedly assessing operational conditions for a potential deployment.
Seoul’s Ministry of National Defence maintained that the mission “is not being conducted on the premise that an actual deployment would take place” and denied reports that Washington had requested troop deployments by November.
Addressing the potential deployment, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote in Korean on social media on Monday: “The military presence or operational participation of other nations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz would inevitably be viewed as direct support for the party committing acts of aggression, and would lead to serious consequences.”
The UAE hosts military forces and support facilities operated by the US and other allied countries. If approved, South Korean forces are expected to use a UAE base as their main operating hub.
The fact-finding team is expected to return to South Korea as early as this week to report to the National Security Council (NSC), according to local media. Any official decision would require deliberations by the NSC and the cabinet, presidential approval and parliamentary authorisation – a process observers say could take up to a year.

Yu Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defence Analyses, said the mission should be viewed as an independent evaluation to determine whether deployment is necessary. Yu said Seoul could scale back the troop deployment, adjust the mission or choose an alternative form of contribution.
However, some security experts warn that excessive hedging carries its own costs for Seoul.
A former defence vice-minister told This Week in Asia that delaying a decision could backfire: “Taking an ambiguous stance due to domestic political reasons does not benefit mid-to-long-term national interests centred on the ROK-US relationship. A clear position must be stated, and the public must be persuaded if necessary.”
From Washington’s perspective, the transactional nature of US alliance politics adds leverage to the request.
Rob Rapson, a former acting US ambassador to South Korea, said Seoul’s deliberation made “perfect sense” amid rising US pressure.
“I think they have been gaming this out for some time now,” Rapson told Yonhap News Agency. “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.”
Proceed with caution
Cho Yong-kun, a military-science professor at Kyungnam University’s College of Public Services, said that while South Korea had a track record of agreeing to US requests for overseas troop commitments, it should proceed with extreme caution in this case.
“This is a high-stakes question – how should we navigate the situation between US pressure and the threats from Iran? It is clear that we must act, but the crucial questions are when and how we should proceed,” he said.
South Korea sent about 320,000 soldiers to the Vietnam war, making it the second-largest foreign military force there after the US. Since then, Seoul’s overseas deployments have largely focused on humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, including sending 600 doctors to southern Iraq in 2003 and the 3,600-strong Zaytun Division to northern Iraq in 2004 for non-combat reconstruction work and medical support.
A better idea could be for Seoul to join the multilateral coalition proposed by the UK and France once a ceasefire was reached, according to Cho.
“My primary concern is that, given the current situation where the US is attacking Iranian oil tankers and Iran is targeting oil tankers and merchant vessels, deploying troops now carries a high risk of casualties.”
Aside from the Vietnam war, South Korea has not suffered combat casualties during overseas deployments.
“We should wait,” Cho added, emphasising that public opinion could give the government leverage to delay. “We cannot enter the Strait of Hormuz right now, even if a truce holds, even if it is fragile. We should delay the timing. When we go there, we must enter as part of a multilateral coalition led by the UK and France.”

Cho also stressed the importance of maintaining an independent command structure, citing General Chae Myung-shin’s operational authority during the Vietnam war as precedent.
Military authorities are reportedly considering scaling back any potential deployment. Initial plans included the navy’s new logistics support ship, the ROKS Soyang, and roughly 150 personnel.
But concerns over the Soyang’s large crew size and its role in directly supporting US naval vessels – which could escalate tensions with Iran – have shifted preferences towards specialised assets, such as P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams.
Cho Han-bum, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, warned that Tehran would “definitely retaliate” if Seoul joined US forces in military action.
“From Tehran’s perspective, South Korea’s involvement would encourage other Asian nations like Japan and Australia to follow suit,” he said. “Iran would go to great lengths to stop it right from the start.”


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Caught between US and Iran, South Korea weighs Hormuz role

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday. Photo: AFP

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South Korea weighs ‘contributions’ to Hormuz as US pressure mounts

Commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Friday. Photo: AP

A P-8A Poseidon performs during an air show in Australia in March 2025. South Korea is reportedly considering sending military assets, including a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, to the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Reuters

KAAV amphibious assault vehicles and an LSF landing craft carrying South Korean marines move towards a beach in Pohang in April. Photo: EPA/Handout

US troops conduct a river-crossing drill on the Imjin River in Paju, South Korea, on August 20. South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops. Photo: EPA / Yonhap

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South Korean protesters wear cut-outs of (from left) US General Xavier Brunson (left), US President Donald Trump (C) and US ambassador to South Korea Michelle Stee and hold up banners saying ‘This land is not a war base in the US”  near the US embassy in Seoul on August 7. Photo: EPA

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) shakes hands with South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac in Seoul on August 20. Photo: Xinhua

South Korea sends fact-finding team to assess Strait of Hormuz conditions

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday. Photo: TNS

South Korean university protesters shout slogans during a rally near the US embassy in Seoul on Monday to oppose a potential deployment of South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: EPA

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Seoul is sending a fact-finding mission to the UAE as it balances Washington’s security requests with warnings of Iranian retaliation


Seoul is sending a fact-finding mission to the UAE as it balances Washington’s security requests with warnings of Iranian retaliation.


Caught between US and Iran, South Korea weighs Hormuz role

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Seoul is sending a fact-finding mission to the UAE as it balances Washington’s security requests with warnings of Iranian retaliation

Seoul is sending a fact-finding mission to the UAE as it balances Washington’s security requests with warnings of Iranian retaliation