Seoul and Paris Discuss Strait of Hormuz Security; No Troop Deployment Planned

The South Korean presidential office announced that President Lee Jae-myung discussed security cooperation and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during a summit in Paris. Seoul officials emphasized that the discussions did not involve the deployment of military forces. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital energy corridor for South Korea, which relied on the route for 61 percent of its crude oil and 54 percent of its naphtha imports last year. Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's national security advisor, stated after the summit that Seoul is still reviewing options for contributing to international maritime security efforts and that no decision has been made. He also dismissed reports suggesting that the United States had set a deadline for Seoul to send troops to the region. Meanwhile, the South Korean Ministry of Defense announced it had sent an inspection team to the UAE to assess the security situation, stressing that the mission is strictly for information gathering. Previously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned that any South Korean military participation in the Persian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz would be considered support for American aggression and would carry serious consequences.