South Korea plans to expand anti-piracy unit near Strait of Hormuz

South Korea announced plans to expand its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit's operations closer to the Strait of Hormuz, adding waters near Duqm, Oman, a P-8A aircraft, and 75 personnel. The government will seek parliamentary approval to extend the deployment beyond 2026.

South Korea plans to expand the operations of its anti-piracy Cheonghae unit to waters closer to the Strait of Hormuz, the Defense Ministry said, following pressure from US President Donald Trump to provide support for the war in Iran. The government will submit a motion to parliament to extend the unit's deployment to the Middle East, which is set to expire at the end of 2026, a ministry spokesperson said, confirming a report by Yonhap News Agency. The Cheonghae unit has been stationed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 and currently includes a 4,400-ton-class destroyer, a maritime operations helicopter, up to three rigid-hull inflatable boats and around 300 service members. The motion would expand the unit's area of operation to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman, about 650 km from the strait. Seoul will also deploy a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and increase the unit's personnel by 75, the Korea Herald reported. Trump has criticized Seoul for what he called insufficient support for the Iran war and scaled back major joint military drills this summer. South Korea relies heavily on oil imports and sourced 70% of its supplies from the Middle East in 2025, most of it delivered through the Strait of Hormuz. President Lee Jae Myung said on September 18 he would not deploy military assets to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into conflict, but said Seoul was reviewing playing a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the region.