[Edaily NOH HEE JUN Reporter Kim Kwan-yong] Facing pressure from the U.S. to dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz, the South Korean government is pursuing plans to expand the operational area and modify the mission of the Cheonghae Unit—which is currently engaged in combating Somali pirates—as an alternative to direct troop deployment. Experts have assessed this as an inevitable compromise to avoid the binary choice between deploying troops and refusing to participate. The analysis suggests it is a second-best option that takes the alliance into account while avoiding the risk of direct involvement in war. However, some in political circles have criticized it as a “trick” rather than a “masterstroke.”

The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 5th that it would submit a proposal to the National Assembly seeking approval to extend the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit, which includes expanding its mission area to the waters south of Oman—closer to the Strait of Hormuz—and dispatching additional assets such as maritime patrol aircraft, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams, and unmanned mine-clearing equipment. The ministry reviewed the extension proposal at a vice-ministerial meeting that day and plans to submit it to the National Assembly immediately after presenting it to the Cabinet. The deployment extension resolution passed by the National Assembly plenary session last year is set to expire on December 31 of this year. The Cheonghae Unit, dispatched in March 2009 to combat piracy and protect South Korean vessels in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, has since had its deployment period extended on a yearly basis with the National Assembly’s approval.

The push to expand the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area is interpreted as a result of the government’s limited diplomatic and security options. President Lee Jae-myung drew a clear line during a press conference last September, stating that there would be no troop deployment to participate in or intervene in a war between the United States and Iran. However, it is also not easy to ignore the requests of the United States, an ally. South Korea relies on the Middle East for approximately 70 percent of its crude oil imports, and about 20 percent of the world’s seaborne crude oil shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Given this situation, analysts suggest that if South Korea alone continues to ignore U.S. requests for its allies to contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security, it could place a significant burden on the ROK-U.S. alliance. Recent signs of tension in ROK-U.S. relations, particularly in the area of intelligence cooperation, coupled with a series of pending investment and trade issues with the U.S., are also factors adding to the government’s dilemma.

Experts view the government’s potential expansion of the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area as an unavoidable choice within the context of U.S.-South Korea relations. Doo Jin-ho, a visiting research fellow at Kyungnam University’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies (Ph.D. in Political Science), assessed the situation, stating, “This appears to be a compromise that comprehensively considers diplomatic, security, and economic relations with allies and partner nations, including the ROK-U.S. alliance, ROK-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) relations, and ROK-Iran relations.” He added, “It seems designed to partially meet U.S. expectations through the deployment of maritime patrol aircraft and other measures, thereby easing tensions between the two countries.” He added, “It also takes into account public sentiment and acceptance regarding the deployment, such as establishing the principle of preventing involvement in war and putting safety measures in place for deployed troops.”

Some observers note that the deployment of patrol aircraft does not necessarily equate to a troop deployment. Yoo Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), stated, “The deployment of patrol aircraft does not mean collecting sensitive military intelligence or providing it to a specific country’s military operations,” adding, “It should be viewed as a measure to assess the maritime situation and ensure mutual security.” He continued, “While we need to play a certain role in light of the ROK-U.S. alliance, we must minimize the risks as much as possible,” and assessed that “the expansion of the Cheonghae Unit’s mission area is an appropriate compromise that takes these conditions into account.”

This is not the first time the operational area of the Cheonghae Unit has been adjusted. Previously, when the Moon Jae-in administration faced a U.S. request to deploy forces to the Strait of Hormuz in 2020, it responded by expanding the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area to include the Strait of Hormuz, rather than joining a U.S.-led coalition. Of course, at that time, the possibility of armed conflict between the U.S. and Iran had merely been raised due to Iran’s backlash against the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the tightening of sanctions; the current situation is different, as actual armed conflict is now underway between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. This is precisely why the mere expansion of the operational area could further fuel controversy over a “circumvented troop deployment.”

Whether the National Assembly will approve the move is also a variable. Kim Byung-ju, a Democratic Party lawmaker who serves as the ruling party’s secretary on the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee and as the President’s special advisor on national defense, drew a clear line during a radio broadcast last month regarding changes to the Cheonghae Unit’s operational radius, stating, “This is absolutely not a deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.” A senior Democratic Party lawmaker also told a reporter, “The Cheonghae Unit is simply playing its role in protecting our vessels a bit more proactively; this is not a new deployment,” adding, “As a country that uses the Strait of Hormuz, we are sharing the burden of ensuring safety.”

However, Kim Jun-hyung, floor leader of the Jooguk Innovation Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly’s Communication Center on the 4th and opposed the move, stating, “Expanding the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area constitutes a troop deployment; it is not a masterstroke but a ploy.”