Seoul, Sept. 09 (SANA) South Korea has sent an inspection team to the United Arab Emirates to assess the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz, with the team’s findings to be submitted to the country’s National Security Council.
Yonhap News Agency quoted a South Korean Defense Ministry official as saying on Wednesday that the team’s mission is limited to assessing conditions and security in the strait, stressing that its dispatch does not mean a decision has been made to deploy military forces to the region.
The ministry denied a media report that the United States had asked South Korea to decide by November whether to send forces to the region.
It said it is reviewing a list of military assets that could be deployed if a decision is made to participate, including a maritime patrol aircraft, explosive ordnance disposal teams, and equipment for detecting and clearing naval mines.
The move comes about six months after US President Donald Trump called on five countries, including South Korea, to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz and help secure the waterway.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Seoul is holding close consultations with relevant countries and the international community to help ensure freedom of passage for all vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
R.D/RK
