US-South Korea Foreign Ministers Discuss Middle East Situation; South Korean Civic Groups Oppose Troop Deployment to Strait of Hormuz

On the evening of the 16th, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Zhao Xian had a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken at his invitation to exchange views on the recent Middle East situation and Korea-U.S. relations.

According to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Blinken discussed the current developments and prospects of the Middle East situation during the call and requested Korea to continue paying attention to and supporting the restoration of peace and stability in the region. Blinken emphasized that, in the long term, to ensure the safety of the Strait of Hormuz, stabilize the global economy, and control international oil prices, cooperation among countries is “more important than ever,” and proposed maintaining close communication between the two sides.

During the call, Zhao Xian stated that peace in the Middle East and the safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz are crucial to the security and economy of all countries, including Korea, and both sides agreed to stay in close consultation on related issues.

On the 14th of this month, former President Trump posted on social media expressing hope that countries like Korea, Japan, France, and the UK would send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the safety of the shipping lane.

Several Korean civic groups have recently publicly expressed opposition. The civil group “Participatory Solidarity” stated that military actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iran constitute “violations of international law,” and if Korea participates in related military actions, it would violate the constitutional principle of denying aggressive war and is unrelated to the obligations under the Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. The group warned that if Korea becomes involved in the conflict, it could face retaliatory risks from Iran.

The Korea Democratic Labor Union also issued a statement, saying that deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz could entangle Korea in U.S. military strategy. The civil organization “Citizens’ Peace Forum” pointed out that deploying the Cheonghae Unit to conflict areas outside the Gulf of Aden, especially participating in joint operations with U.S. forces, has exceeded the initial authorization scope of the National Assembly.

Additionally, major Korean media strongly advised the government to respond cautiously.

(Source: CCTV News)