The Cabinet meeting decided to 'expand the Cheonghae unit's operational area'... The ball goes to the National Assembly (comprehensive report 2)

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop and Kim Hyo-jeong = At ​​the Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myeong at the Blue House on the 10th, a motion to modify the extension of the deployment, including expanding the mission area of ​​the Cheonghae Unit and dispatching additional assets, was passed.

The motion was submitted to the National Assembly after receiving President Lee's approval along with the motion to extend the dispatch of ROK military units to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The agenda submitted to the National Assembly's Bill Division will then be reviewed by the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly and go through the consent process at the plenary session.

The motion includes provisions such as expanding the mission area of ​​the Cheonghae Unit, which protects merchant ships in the waters of the Gulf of Aden in Somalia, to waters south of Oman, closer to the Strait of Hormuz.

In addition to the existing destroyers, additional forces such as a maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal unit (EOD), and unmanned minesweeping equipment will be dispatched, and 'support for the restoration of freedom of navigation on international maritime traffic routes' will be added to the mission.

The purpose of dispatching EOD and unmanned minesweeping equipment and adding the mission of ‘supporting the restoration of freedom of navigation’ is to prepare for the possibility of the international community participating in mine removal operations in the Strait of Hormuz, which may begin after the end of the war between the United States and Iran.

Some say that this content of the motion is the first case contributing to military efforts to stabilize the Strait of Hormuz.

However, criticism is also being raised by minor political parties in the ruling party, including the Fatherland Innovation Party, and some civic groups, that this may be a 'diversionary dispatch of troops'.

When asked at the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly the previous day about Kim Byeong-ju's position on the comments made by Rep. Kim Byeong-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea, Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol said, "I clearly stated the principle of non-involvement and non-interference in war."

The Ministry of National Defense also announced the decision of the Cabinet meeting on this day and emphasized that the strengthening of the Cheonghae Unit's mission is for "protection of the people and protection of economic interests," and that "under the principle of never engaging in or intervening in war, we will establish an independent command system and do our best to protect our people and ships."

Meanwhile, at the Cabinet meeting on this day, a motion to extend the deployment of the ARK unit, which is responsible for supporting military education and training in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was also passed.