South Korea plans to expand the mission of its Cheonghae anti-piracy naval unit to waters near the Strait of Hormuz, and the government will seek parliamentary approval for the change. The plan follows US pressure over the Iran war, according to reporting by the Guardian and Al Jazeera.
The defence ministry plans to extend the unit’s operating area to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman, about 650km from the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Guardian. The government will submit a motion to parliament. A defence spokesperson told Reuters that the government will ask the National Assembly to extend the unit’s mandate, which is due to expire at the end of 2026, as reported by Al Jazeera.
According to Al Jazeera, the expansion would add 75 personnel, including a bomb disposal team, and a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to help monitor shipping routes. A defence official, speaking anonymously, told the Guardian that the mission is strictly non-combat and that the unit will operate independently of allied forces. The official said patrol aircraft will be barred from targeting or monitoring Iranian territory or the interior of the strait.
The move comes after pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has criticised South Korea for what he called insufficient support for the Iran war, according to the Guardian. Trump also scaled back joint military drills with South Korea this summer, the Guardian reported.
The US-Iran war, which began on February 28, has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil, according to France 24. South Korea sourced 70% of its oil supplies from the Middle East in 2025, most of it delivered through the strait, according to the industry ministry as cited by the Guardian.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in separate incidents after attempting to use unauthorised routes through the strait, the Guardian reported. One tanker reportedly struck a mine. These incident claims are not independently confirmed in the available reporting. Tehran has warned against the plan, but the reports do not give details of the warning or any official Iranian statement on the plan.
No cabinet or parliamentary vote has taken place. According to Al Jazeera, citing Yonhap, the cabinet is expected to endorse the motion next week. The motion then goes to the National Assembly, and it also needs approval from President Lee Jae Myung. No response from Oman or the United States to the plan has been reported.
This account relies on a small set of articles. The Yonhap, Reuters, YTN and Korea Herald reporting is known only as relayed by other outlets, so the details above should be read with that limit in mind.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.