South Korean media have reported, citing government and military sources, that Seoul is considering sending military equipment and troops to the Strait of Hormuz.
A move that will require legal procedures and approval from the country’s parliament. South Korean presidential officials have emphasized that a final decision has not yet been made on the deployment of troops.
Options include sending a spy plane, a naval logistical support ship or reconnaissance battalion, and clearing naval mines. Reuters reported that the likely goal of the mission would be to contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in statements about developments in the Middle East, has called on Arab countries to stand with Iran against what he sees as threats posed by Israeli expansion.
Kim has warned that the continued silence of Arab countries could have serious consequences for the region, saying: “If the Arabs do not wake up today with Iran and take action to confront it, tomorrow they will wake up with the dream and fear of a Greater Israel.”
Recent developments are occurring at a time when the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the main centers of security tensions in the region, and any increased military presence in this waterway could affect security and shipping equations in the Persian Gulf.
