OddsFrontSouth Korea to move Cheonghae anti-piracy unit closer to Strait of Hormuz
Seoul will ask parliament to widen the Cheonghae unit’s area of operation toward the Strait of Hormuz and add a P-8A patrol aircraft and 75 personnel, amid pressure from Trump over the Iran war.
South Korea intends to shift its Cheonghae naval task force, created to counter piracy, into waters nearer the Strait of Hormuz, the Defence Ministry said on November 5. Reuters, in a report carried by Al-Monitor, tied the decision to pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has pushed Seoul to back the war involving Iran.
A ministry spokesperson confirmed an earlier account from Yonhap News Agency and said the government would ask parliament to prolong the unit’s Middle East mission, whose current authorisation lapses at the end of 2026. Under the plan, the unit’s operating area would reach the vicinity of Duqm, an Omani port roughly 650 km (403 miles) from the strait. The proposal must first win the approval of President Lee Jae Myung and his cabinet before it goes to lawmakers.
What Seoul would send
The Korea Herald reported that South Korea will also dispatch a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and enlarge the unit by 75 personnel. The force has operated out of the Gulf of Aden since 2009, where its task is to protect commercial vessels. According to the broadcaster YTN, it currently comprises a destroyer of the 4,400-ton class, a helicopter for maritime missions, as many as three rigid-hull inflatable boats and about 300 service members.
Pressure from Washington
Reuters noted that Trump has complained that South Korea has done too little to help in the Iran war. This summer he also reduced the scale of large joint exercises between the two countries’ armed forces, a step that left the American ally uneasy.
Seoul also has a strong economic reason to care about the waterway. The Industry Ministry says the Middle East supplied 70% of South Korea’s oil in 2025, and most of those cargoes passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The country depends heavily on imported oil.
Lee’s earlier caution
Reuters recalled that Lee said on September 18 that he would not send military assets to the Middle East in any way that might pull South Korea into the conflict. At the same time, he said his government was considering a larger part in safeguarding navigation in the region. The new plan keeps the unit at a distance from the strait itself, since Duqm lies hundreds of kilometres away.
What happens next
The motion has not yet reached parliament. Reuters said it requires approval from Lee and the cabinet, and lawmakers must then consider the extension of the deployment before the present mandate ends at the close of 2026. The outlets did not say when the vote might take place, or when the additional aircraft and personnel would arrive in the region.