South Korea said Thursday it will expand the operations of its anti-piracy naval unit to waters near the Strait of Hormuz. The deployment includes a destroyer, maritime patrol aircraft and mine-clearing teams to help keep the strategic energy waterway open.
The defence ministry plans to submit a motion to parliament to expand the Cheonghae unit's area of operation to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman, about 650km from the strait. The motion also requires approval from President Lee Jae Myung and the cabinet, and seeks to extend the unit's Middle East deployment beyond its current expiration at the end of 2026. The unit, stationed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009, currently includes a 4,400-ton-class destroyer, a maritime operations helicopter and about 300 service members. The expansion would add a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal team, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles, and 75 additional personnel.
Officials said the reinforcement is strictly for non-combat purposes and the unit will operate independently of allied forces. "The enhancement of the Cheonghae unit's mission is to protect our citizens and safeguard our economic interests," a defence ministry official told reporters. Operations will remain restricted to open waters south of Oman, and the patrol aircraft will be prohibited from targeting or monitoring Iranian territory, territorial waters or the interior of the strait.
The announcement follows pressure from President Donald Trump, who criticized Seoul for insufficient support for the US-Iran war and scaled back major joint military drills this summer. President Lee said on Sept. 18 that South Korea would not deploy military assets in a way that could draw the country into conflict, but that Seoul was reviewing a greater role in safeguarding navigation. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned against the deployment and said Thursday that two oil tankers and a tugboat had caught fire after attempting unauthorized routes through the strait, with one tanker striking a mine.
South Korea sourced 70% of its oil supplies from the Middle East in 2025, most delivered through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the industry ministry. The US-Iran war that began on Feb. 28 has disrupted shipping through the strait, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil.
