As U.S. President Donald Trump's dissatisfaction with Korea is expressed in various forms, attention is being paid to whether the government's review of the deployment of troops to Hormuz will speed up.
According to a diplomat on the 6th, President Trump's dissatisfaction that his ally South Korea is not helping the United States properly is being expressed through Hormuz and Ukraine.
On the 30th of last month (local time), President Trump mentioned Korea and said, "I said, 'Could you help us a little bit with Iran?' and they responded, 'It would be better not to do it.' I'll remember that."
On the 4th, he shared a column on his social media, arguing that Korea should sell the domestically produced anti-aircraft missile 'Cheongung-II' to Ukraine.
Regarding this, there is a feeling within the government that ‘what will come will come’. If investments in the United States, semiconductors, and contributions to Hormuz have been major demands made by the U.S. in Korea-U.S. relations, the issue of support for Ukraine, which had been under the surface, has also reappeared.
From the U.S. perspective, since Korea is not active in issues related to the war with Iran, such as sending troops to Hormuz, there is an analysis that it is a demand of the United States, including President Trump, that the U.S. needs to be met by at least providing support to Ukraine.
Cheongung-II, known as the 'Korean Patriot', is an anti-aircraft missile that directly intercepts ballistic missiles at an altitude of 40 km or less. It was put into service in the Middle East war early this year and proved to have a high success rate of interception despite its relatively low price.
Cheongung-II is being exported to three countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in 2024, starting with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2022, and supplying contracted quantities sequentially. It is known that other Middle Eastern countries are also considering introduction.
The production schedule for supplying contracted quantities to importing countries that have already signed export contracts is also very tight, and the defense industry explains that it is virtually impossible to additionally export Cheongung-II to Ukraine in this situation.
In addition, exporting weapons to Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, requires additional review at the government level under the Defense Acquisition Program Act, and there are concerns that Russia may oppose South Korea's arms exports and further solidify military cooperation with North Korea.
For this reason, the government has maintained the principle of providing humanitarian and non-military support to Ukraine, but not directly providing weapons.
The government, faced with multifaceted pressure from the United States, appears to have decided that the urgent priority at this point is to carefully manage the issue of sending troops to Hormuz.
Regarding the dispatch of troops to Hormuz, voices of concern have been raised within the ruling party since a Blue House official stated on the 4th that "movement may be carried out within the range that does not cause significant damage to the readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula."
Dispatch of troops requires the consent of the National Assembly, and although the ruling party has the majority in the National Assembly, if the discussion on dispatching troops is highlighted and public opinion against it increases, passing the National Assembly cannot be guaranteed.
President Lee Jae-myung reportedly responded to a question from a participant at a civil society meeting hosted at the Blue House on the 4th, saying, "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 am deeply concerned."
Moreover, with even Iran immediately protesting, concerns are being raised that Korea's range of maneuver is narrowing like the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah media, when a Blue House official mentioned this, a senior Iranian official said, "Iran will consider Korea's actions against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz as direct military aggression against Iran and participation in the war."
It is a warning that if Korea dispatches troops to Hormuz, it will view it as participation in the war and treat it as a hostile country.
Of course, considering the ROK-US alliance, which is the basis of security, and the actions of allies and countries in the international community with similar positions, the direction of military contribution to Hormuz has already been decided and some say it is more of a matter of timing.
This is because free passage through the Strait of Hormuz is closely related to Korea's national interests, and Korea cannot accept factors that impede free passage, such as the toll tax claimed by Iran.
In addition, the government's judgment appears to be that even if Korea sends troops and military assets to Hormuz, it will not do what it must do just because of Iran's rhetorical opposition, as it will mainly be a defensive measure to ensure stability in the strait.
Regarding Iran's opposition, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The government is in close communication with the international community, including related countries, to ensure the speedy restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and free passage of all ships, including ours, in the Strait of Hormuz."
Korea's review of troop dispatch is focused on peace, stability, and free passage, rather than participation in war and offensive military actions, and this can be interpreted as a common trend not only for Korea but also for the international community.
There is a possibility that the direction of the discussion on Korea's troop dispatch to Hormuz will be revealed at the Korea-France summit between President Lee and French President Emmanuel Macron on the 8th.
France, along with Britain, has been leading discussions on the idea of a 'multinational mission' involving the international community since the beginning of the Iran war, and Korea is also participating.
France and the United Kingdom have already revealed in detail their military assets that can be used to remove mines in the Strait of Hormuz, so they may bring up this discussion first at the meeting.
A Blue House official also said on the 4th that there is a possibility of discussions, saying, "France is the first country to actively move toward international solidarity for Hormuz passage, and has also consulted with us."
