The Blue House is considering sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz... ‘Movement possible without damage to preparedness for the Korean Peninsula’

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop and Hwang Yoon-ki = On the 4th, a Blue House official said about whether dispatching troops overseas could be considered as a way to contribute to the military in the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "I think it can be done as long as there is no significant damage to the preparedness of the Korean Peninsula."

This official met with reporters on this day and said, "If we are to make a practical contribution in Hormuz, we must consider the preparedness of the Korean Peninsula, and we are reviewing various things regarding that preparedness."

This means that they are considering changes in preparedness in case of troop dispatch, and there is analysis that the Blue House is in fact considering the possibility of dispatching troops while leaving open the possibility to a large extent.

Furthermore, this official also mentioned, "Our government has talked several times about substantive contributions. Substantive contributions include military contributions."

However, this official showed a cautious attitude, saying, “We are currently in the review stage (about ways to contribute to the Strait of Hormuz), and nothing has been decided.”

He explained, "When considering this, we are also considering it in accordance with domestic legal procedures. Ultimately, this means consultation with the National Assembly and consent from the National Assembly, but we have not yet reached that stage."

There were reports that the government was preparing to submit an agenda item to the National Security Council (NSC) and submit a bill for ratification to the National Assembly, but this was interpreted to mean that, separate from discussions within the government, no specific consultation has yet been reached with the National Assembly.

In addition, he emphasized that ‘military contribution’ should not be interpreted as limited to combat situations.

This official said, "Military contribution includes participating in combat, but there are various options such as non-combat and search. We are reviewing these comprehensively."

He added, “Whether it is combat personnel or non-combat personnel, whether one person or two people go to the field, it is stipulated that they are deploying troops,” and added, “When they say dispatching troops, they associate it with combat, but that may not necessarily be the case.”

The Blue House also reiterated in a notice message sent to the media, "Mentions such as participation in combat, non-combat, and search are general explanations of various options, and nothing has been decided on actual contribution measures."

In response to a question about whether the recent security and economic negotiations with the United States are suffering due to the issue of sending troops to Hormuz, a Blue House official responded, "Our government has always expressed its position that it will make a substantive contribution to Hormuz," and said it would be difficult to further mention the direct connection.

However, this official also explained that the recent security negotiations between Korea and the United States are "not easy to proceed at the moment."

He said, "While progress was being made according to the joint fact sheet, it was temporarily stalled early this year and restored in May. It is now difficult to proceed again as it is connected to several other issues, but we are continuing efforts to restore it as we did from January to May."

Also, regarding trade negotiations, he said, "There are various areas between Korea and the United States, and they influence each other, and some may become a factor in stagnation. There are investment issues, and it is true that semiconductors are also a subject of discussion."

This remark implied that America's demand for investment in the semiconductor sector was one of the issues in the dialogue between the two sides.

This official added, “We are trying to ensure that (this aspect) does not become an obstacle or obstacle to each other.”

President Lee Jae-myung was asked a question by an attendee at a civil society meeting hosted at the Blue House on this day, and was reported to have replied, "It is really difficult to talk about sending troops. There has been no progress," and "We are looking at it seriously."

The participant expressed his opposition to sending troops to Hormuz, and President Lee reportedly said, "It is sensitive militarily. I have deep concerns," and "It would be better not to talk about it externally."