🇰🇷🇺🇸 South Korea mulls aiding US naval effort near Strait of Hormuz – report

The South Korean government is reportedly considering expanding its ongoing anti-piracy effort to the Gulf of Oman, right next to the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun claims.

The so-called Cheonghae Unit was originally deployed off Somalia’s coast in 2009 and consists of one destroyer and one helicopter, with the unit’s declared goal being to escort ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and conduct anti-piracy operations.

If the new mission is approved, the unit could be bolstered by the addition of a maritime patrol aircraft.

The proposal has already met resistance from South Korean political opposition and civil society, the newspaper notes, as such expansion of the Cheonghae Unit’s mission may be regarded by Iran as South Korea entering the war on the US side.

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