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| Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks to the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
The foreign minister said Thursday that the country may not be on the same page with the United States on the issue of dispatching a naval force to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, citing the importance of relations with Iran.
The remark came as the government is facing a dilemma over whether to accede to the U.S. request for military support in the Middle East amid escalating tension in the region following the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and Iran's retaliatory missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq.
"Considering a political analysis and bilateral ties with countries in the Middle East, I believe our stance on the issue cannot be the exactly same as the U.S.," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. A meeting of the committee was convened to discuss how to handle that possible fallout from the growing tension between Washington and Tehran.
"We have maintained economic ties with Iran for a long time and currently, we provide humanitarian assistance and educational support to the country," she said.
"As the U.S. has asked the international community, including us, to join its maritime security coalition guarding the waterway, we have taken all the circumstances into consideration such as the safety of Koreans in the region and vessels passing through the strait."
However, Kang said Korea has yet to make a decision on the matter.
This the first time for a senior government official to hint that Korea's decision on the issue may not be what its biggest ally wants.
Washington has repeatedly pressured Seoul to send a naval contingent to Hormuz. Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harri also urged Korea to accept the U.S. request, noting that Korea gets so much of its oil from the region.
However, the government is remaining cautious about any participation, which could endanger its ties with Iran and threaten the safety of Korean residents there.
In response to the U.S. request, broadening the operational areas of the Cheonghae Unit has emerged as the most probable option. The unit is engaged in an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia.
With regard to speculation that the expanded operation would require parliamentary consent, Kang said this would depend on what kind of roles the unit will assume. According to the relevant law, the unit can carry out missions in the Gulf of Aden and its surrounding regions.
Also, the minister said the government would consider withdrawing Korean residents and companies from Iraq if the situation in the Middle East gets worse ― although it assesses that there is no urgent need to pull them out.
"Most Koreans are staying in suburban areas that are out of range of Iraqi pro-Iran Shiite militias' retaliatory attacks, so to date we have just has to monitor the situation," she said.
Currently, 1,574 Koreans are in Iraq, most of whom are construction workers.
The minister added the government will run a 24-hour emergency response system until the situation stabilizes.
Meanwhile, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told the parliamentary committee the government is exploring measures for inter-Korean projects that do not violate the United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea.
In a New Year address, President Moon Jae-in said that the need to find realistic ways to further advance inter-Korean cooperation has become all the more urgent.
