South Korea deploys military units near Strait of Hormuz

South Korea will deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team near the Strait of Hormuz to help keep the waterway open, France 24 reported on Thursday. The South Korean defence ministry stated that the mission aims to protect commercial shipping and energy supplies. The ministry maintained that Seoul will not deploy troops to intervene militarily in the ongoing war between the United States and Iran. [1]

Several outlets, including the Deccan Herald, Korea JoongAng Daily, UA.NEWS, and K-VIBE, reported that South Korea plans to expand its anti-piracy operations closer to the Strait of Hormuz and deploy additional naval assets to the region. [8][9][10][11]

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime choke point that handles about a quarter of the world seaborne oil trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since late February 2026. The disruption began when the United States and Israel launched an air war against Iran, leading the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to issue passage bans, attack merchant vessels, and lay sea mines. Thousands of seafarers have been trapped in the region as attacks on commercial vessels mounted, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [14][17]

Separately, South Korea has faced internal national security issues. The South China Morning Post reported that President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to establish a centralised cybersecurity agency after personal details belonging to him and other officials were leaked online. UPI also reported that South Korea is considering appointing a cybersecurity czar amid growing hacking threats. [2][4]