According to the Associated Press on the 4th, the presidential office of South Korea said that the South is currently studying and deliberating the proposal regarding the dispatch of troops to the Strait of Hormuz according to procedure, and has not yet made any decision.
According to the report, the Tsinghua said, “It is possible for South Korea to make a certain contribution to the Strait of Hormuz situation without harming the existing war readiness situation.”
Several Korean media earlier in the day reported that the Korean military is pushing for the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz. The deployment needs to be decided by the National Security Council, approved by the State Council, and approved by the National Assembly. The relevant bill could be submitted to the National Assembly by this month at the earliest.
The Korean media analyzed that this move differs from the South Korean government‘s previous statements. The South Korean government had previously stated that it would only push forward the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the U.S.-Iranian war. The South Korean government is now accelerating the deployment preparations, or it may be related to U.S. President Trump‘s continued pressure.
SBS reported on the 4th, citing sources from the Ministry of Defense, that the proposed forces include maritime patrol aircrafts, explosives handling teams, and naval supply support ships. In addition, according to a senior official in the military, South Korea is coordinating with the relevant countries on landing sites and combat bases.