Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Does sending Korean warships to Hormuz need National Assembly approval?
Civic groups hold a street protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to oppose sending Korean warships to the Strait of Hormuz, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Park Ji-won
As U.S. President Donald Trump presses allies to help police the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint carrying roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply — Korea finds itself caught between its most important security partner and the limits of its own Constitution.
Analysts and lawmakers from both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said Monday that any warship deployment to the strait for combat operations would require National Assembly approval, following Trump's weekend request for Korea to join a U.S.-led effort to keep the passage open amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. The Korean government said it will "prudently review" the request when it comes.
Some analysts, however, say that parliamentary approval may not be required if Korea's already-deployed Cheonghae Unit, an anti-piracy force that conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, simply expands its existing operations into the strait, a distinction that could prove pivotal in how Seoul ultimately responds.
“If Korea is joining as part of a multinational force, parliamentary approval is necessary because it is partaking in a war, while it is not required when the Cheonghae Unit is expanding its operation,” Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University told The Korea Times Monday, adding that the unit already received parliamentary approval when it was deployed to its current operating area.
Kim Yeoul-soo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said whether the dispatch will need the approval from the National Assembly would be “the key discussion” around any warship deployment.
“What operations specifically the unit will take should be reviewed because the operation of the Cheonghae Unit is originally to combat piracy and evacuate Korean nationals in emergencies,” Kim said.
Kim added that Seoul still needs to weigh other countries' responses and the capabilities of available vessels before committing to a course of action.
Meanwhile, lawmakers from both major parties echoed the call for legislative oversight.
Rep. Kim Hyun-jung, a spokesperson for the DPK told KBS radio Monday that it needs the National Assembly’s approval when sending troops overseas, saying any dispatch needs a comprehensive review related to the safety of Korean nationals as well as the Korea-U.S. alliance.
Rep. Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the PPP said during a party meeting Monday that parliamentary approval is a “must” in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws, as the decision involves deploying troops to a region where combat involvement is highly possible.
The Cheonghae Unit in the Gulf of Aden / Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff
The remarks came after Trump urged five countries, including Korea, to send warships to the region as the United States seeks to reopen the key maritime passage that Iran has been blockading since the conflict began.
"Many Countries, especially those that are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe," Trump wrote on social media.
"Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated."
Korea has navigated a similar situation before. In January 2020, under then-President Moon Jae-in, Seoul expanded the Cheonghae Unit's operations to the Strait of Hormuz without parliamentary approval, opting for an independent mission to protect Korean vessels instead of joining the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S.
Korean civic groups urged the government Sunday to reject Trump's request outright, stressing that it is a violation of the Constitution and international laws. People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement that the Constitution commits Korea to upholding international peace and forbids starting a war or invading another country, and that the military's role is to protect national safety and territorial defense.
Meanwhile, Australia reportedly rejected the request from Trump, while Japan has been reviewing the legal frameworks that the country could take, its Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told her Cabinet Monday.