South Korea to deploy military mission to keep Strait of Hormuz open

South Korea's defence ministry said Thursday it would deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team to waters near the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission to help keep the waterway open.

The announcement comes as Seoul maintains it will not deploy troops to intervene militarily in the Iran war, while seeking to protect commercial shipping and energy supplies through one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints.

The US-Iran war that began on February 28 has disrupted shipping through the Hormuz strait, a vital conduit for global energy supplies that normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil.

The defence ministry confirmed reports that the government plans to expand the operational area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy naval unit, which protects commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, to waters near the Strait of Hormuz, a defence ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

The deployment will include a destroyer, a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, unmanned surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for underwater exploration, Yonhap News Agency reported.

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Extending the deployment of the Cheonghae unit -- currently authorised until the end of this year -- will require parliamentary approval, Yonhap said.

"The enhancement of the Cheonghae unit's mission is to protect our citizens and safeguard our economic interests," a defence ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The official said the reinforcement is strictly for non-combat purposes and the unit will operate independently of allied forces.

"Operations will remain restricted to the open waters south of Oman, and the maritime patrol aircraft will be prohibited from targeting or monitoring Iranian territory, territorial waters or the interior of the Strait of Hormuz during their missions," he said.

In September, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung reiterated that South Korea would not deploy troops in a way that could lead to military intervention.

"We have upheld the principle of non-involvement and non-intervention in the war until now," he said. "And we will continue to uphold it going forward."

Tehran has warned South Korea against any such deployment after Seoul said it was weighing a contribution to the security of the waterway.