Under US pressure, South Korea expands its anti-piracy mission to include the Strait of Hormuz

The South Korean Ministry of Defense said today that it intends to extend the duties of the anti-piracy unit currently operating off the African coast to include the area around the Strait of Hormuz, after pressure from the United States to help protect oil tankers.

Last week, the US ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris, called on Seoul to join the Washington-led naval mission, saying that South Korea is among the countries that need to join given that it "gets 70% of its oil supplies from the Middle East."

Attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran last year prompted US officials to invite Washington's allies to join a maritime security mission in the region.

South Korea discussed the possibility of responding to the American request. The decision to transform an already functioning marine unit is a compromise that will not require a new mandate from the South Korean parliament.

The Korean Ministry of Defense said that although Seoul intends to send troops to the region and the Gulf, it will not join the coalition of international forces.

"The South Korean government has decided to temporarily expand the deployment of the Tseongye Military Unit. This step will ensure the safety of citizens and freedom of navigation for South Korean ships," a ministry official told reporters.

The ministry said that the Tsongye unit will continue its mission, along with cooperating with the coalition, adding that the United States was informed of the decision, as well as the Iranians, separately.

The Tsunge unit has been stationed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 to help tackle piracy, in partnership with African countries, the United States, and the European Union.

According to a South Korean government report released in 2018, the unit consists of 302 personnel, and includes a destroyer, a anti-submarine Linux helicopter, and three speed boats.

South Korea, which is the fifth largest oil importer in the world and one of the largest importers of Iranian oil, stopped importing crude from Iran last May after canceling exemptions related to US sanctions on Tehran.