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| Members of civic groups hold a news conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, to oppose the government's decision to send the Cheonghae unit to the Strait of Hormuz. Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
The government's decision to send a naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz still remains a contentious issue in political circles as critics claim it requires fresh approval.
The defense ministry announced, Tuesday, it will temporarily expand the anti-piracy Cheonghae unit's area of operations from the Gulf of Aden to the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to ensure the safety of Korean ships there — although it will not join the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC).
According to the law, in order to send a military unit overseas, the government needs to submit a bill for approval to the National Assembly, and if the bill is passed, it should be endorsed at a Cabinet meeting again and finally receive approval from the president.
Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) believes the decision does not require parliamentary consent because it is not a "new dispatch."
"The Cheonghae unit had been already dispatched, so as far as we understand, an additional approval from the Assembly is unnecessary," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, Wednesday.
DPK Rep. Ahn Gyu-back, who heads the Assembly's National Defense Committee, also said Tuesday, "The dispatch is based on legal grounds."
The Assembly passed a motion to extend the naval unit's mission until the end of 2020 last December, and it stipulates that the unit shall carry out missions in the Gulf of Aden and expand operational areas in case of emergency.
"It is an expansion of the unit's missions, not a fresh dispatch," the lawmaker said.
However, conservative opposition parties said the decision needs to get the nod from the Assembly — although they are not opposed to the dispatch.
"According to documents of the defense ministry, changes in the number of personnel and mission of the Cheonghae unit need to be approved by the Assembly," Rep. Baek Seung-joo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said.
New Conservative Party Spokesman Kwon Sung-joo also said, "The dispatch has thorny aspects, so it should have received approval from lawmakers."
The progressive Justice Party made clear its firm opposition to the government's decision.
"The deployment of the Cheonghae unit to the Strait of Hormuz can lead to hostile relations with Iran, so I cannot agree with it. In addition, the decision means the unit's mission has changed, so the National Assembly has to decide whether to approve the plan," Justice Party Chairwoman Sim Sang-jeung said.
Party for Democracy and Peace Spokeswoman Rep. Park Joo-hyun also said, "The dispatch means Korea will join a war between the United States and Iran without any justification and it will eventually end up with hostile ties with traditional ally, Iran.
The Cheonghae unit is engaged in an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, but now it will assume a different task, which means a parliamentary authorization is required."
As the world's most important oil passageway and a choke point between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the strait is the route to the open ocean for more than one-sixth of global oil production and 70 percent of Korea's oil imports.
Tensions in the region have mounted since the U.S. killed a top Iranian general through airstrikes and Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation earlier this month.
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