Does sending Korean warships to Hormuz need National Assembly approval?
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 multination
