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| In this Nov. 19, 2019, file photo, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, left, the air-defense destroyer HMS Defender and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut transit the Strait of Hormuz. AFP-Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min said Thursday that the government could seek its own way to protect the lives and properties of Koreans in the Strait of Hormuz rather than participating in a U.S.-led naval coalition policing the region.
His remarks came amid Washington's increasing pressure on Seoul to participate in the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a coalition of countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the U.K. and Bahrain sending naval units to the area to safeguard navigation. Korea has been put in a dilemma over whether to join the maritime mission amid recently heightened tensions in the Middle East in the wake of the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iran's retaliatory attack on U.S. bases in Iraq.
"We have not yet decided on whether to participate as a member of IMSC," Noh said during an interview with CBS radio, Thursday. "But the government is reviewing possible ways to protect the lives and properties of our people and companies in the Middle East amid the recent political turmoil there … Such a review is progressing considerably."
The Strait of Hormuz is an important region for Korea and other countries, as it is a main shipping choke point vital to oil shipments from the Middle East. About 70 percent of crude oil imported by Korea is shipped through the strait, Noh said.
When asked if Korea's own operation there could be regarded as de facto participation in the IMSC by Iran, Noh said Seoul would give a prior explanation to Tehran. "We expect it will not have an adverse effect on Korea-Iran relations," he added.
Toward the end of last year, Seoul had considered sending a naval vessel to be part of the IMSC as a way to contribute to the South Korea-U.S. alliance and possibly use it as a negotiating card in the ongoing defense cost-sharing talks with Washington, which has asked its allies to contribute "more" to regional security.
Specifically, the redeployment of the Navy's anti-piracy Cheonghae unit from its mission in the Gulf of Aden had been discussed as a possible option.
However, this faced hurdles following the rising military tension in the region, as the government does not want to risk its ties with Iran and put Korean residents there in danger.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the Middle East situation during their meeting in Palo Alto, Calif., Tuesday. Asked if there was a request to send a naval force, a South Korean official told reporters that Pompeo had emphasized "the importance of collective efforts by the international community."
Earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris also publicly called on Seoul to send a Navy ship to the Middle East, during an interview with local broadcaster KBS.
However, President Moon Jae-in has expressed a cautious stance on the issue. In a New Year press conference, Tuesday, he said, "Regarding the Hormuz question, there are complex factors to be considered. We need to think about our alliance with the U.S. as well as our relations with Iran. We will take all of these into consideration as we look for a realistic solution."
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