SEOUL: South Korea’s presidential office said Wednesday that the United States had not recently asked Seoul to deploy a warship to the Strait of Hormuz, denying a local media report.
The Dong-A Ilbo reported earlier Wednesday that the administration of US President Donald Trump had recently asked South Korea to contribute military assets, including a warship, amid renewed hostilities with Iran.
The United States has conducted daily strikes against Iran since July 8, saying the attacks are retaliation for Iranian strikes on commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting has effectively shattered a tenuous ceasefire reached between the two countries in June.
“Regarding the safety of international maritime transportation routes and freedom of navigation, the government has not recently received any request from the US to deploy a specific asset,” a presidential official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said Seoul and Washington had continued discussing possible forms of cooperation and that South Korea was reviewing practical ways to contribute to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
The review takes into account “all relevant factors, including the readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and procedures under domestic law,” the official said.
The official added that details of communications between South Korea and the United States on military and security matters could not be publicly disclosed.
South Korea has been reviewing a possible role in international efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, including the US-proposed Maritime Freedom Construct.
Seoul has already joined the Multinational Military Mission, a defensive naval coalition led by Britain and France to help secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as related efforts at the United Nations Security Council.
In April, President Lee Jae Myung pledged to make a “tangible contribution” to ensuring safe passage through the strait during a multilateral summit chaired by the leaders of Britain and France.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also said during a visit to the United States in May that he had told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Seoul would review possible contributions in phases to help ensure freedom of navigation through the strait.
