SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday reiterated its principle of "non-involvement" in the war between the United States, Israel and Iran after Tehran called on Seoul to refrain from sending its troops to help reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry urged Korea to avoid getting involved in the war, as Seoul plans to expand the operational scope of its anti-piracy Cheonghae unit off the Somali coast to waters closer to the Hormuz strait, a key energy shipping route effectively blocked amid the Iran war.
"The (Seoul) government is proceeding with a motion to strengthen the mission of the Cheonghae unit under non-involvement, non-intervention principles for protecting our citizens and economic interests," a ministry official said. "Regarding this, we have been communicating with Iran and other relevant countries."
Earlier in the day, the Cabinet approved the motion to expand the Cheonghae unit's operational scope. It will then be sent to the National Assembly for parliamentary consent.
The motion calls for extending the unit's operational area to waters south of Oman in the Arabian Sea and deploying a maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team.
The 48th contingent of the anti-piracy Cheonghae unit leaves a port in Busan, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, aboard the 4,400-ton Wang Geon destroyer, to rotate with the previous crew in the Gulf of Aden on May 15, 2026, in this photo provided by the South Korean Navy. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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Source: Yonhap News · Song Sang-ho
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