South Korea and France discuss the security of the Strait of Hormuz without mentioning the deployment of forces

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed cooperation on security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a summit in Paris on Tuesday, but the talks did not address the deployment of military forces, the presidential office in Seoul said.

Lee, who is on an official visit to France, stated in a joint press conference that he discussed the issue of the Strait of Hormuz with Macron as part of broader talks on international security issues.

Lee said: “South Korea and France agreed to continue close coordination, so that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz can be restored and global supply chains can be quickly stabilized.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital energy transport route for South Korea, which relied on this waterway for 61 percent of its crude oil imports and 54 percent of its naphtha imports last year.

In a briefing after the summit, National Security Adviser Wee Sung-Lak said that the discussions focused on how South Korea could contribute to international efforts related to maritime security in the strait, and not on deploying troops.

Speaking about Seoul’s contribution options, Wei said: “We are still in the review stage. “No decision has been taken yet.”

He added that Iran expressed its interest and requested clarifications through diplomatic channels following media reports about a possible role for South Korea in efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

He added that Seoul's review of options to contribute to the Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with investment discussions with the United States, rejecting suggestions that there is a connection between the two issues.

For its part, the South Korean presidential office said separately that reports that the United States had set a deadline for Seoul to send forces to the Strait of Hormuz were incorrect.

Seoul said last week that it was studying various options, including military measures, to contribute to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while denying reports that a decision to deploy forces had already been taken.

This followed US President Donald Trump's decision in August to reduce the scope of joint military exercises with South Korea, which he said was partly due to Seoul's refusal to provide assistance to Washington in the conflict with Iran.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned this week that any South Korean military participation in operations in the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz would be considered support for American “aggression,” and would entail dire consequences.