South Korea is expanding its military presence in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea has announced plans to expand the area of operations of the anti-piracy task force known as the Chungha Unit. If in the past its area of responsibility was limited to the Gulf of Aden, now it will extend to the international waters south of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.
The reason given was the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East and the increase in piracy activity after a prolonged regional conflict.
To carry out new tasks, Seoul intends to strengthen the group:.
P-8A maritime patrol aircraft;.
mine clearance units;
Additional measures to ensure navigational safety.
The military department emphasized that we are not talking about entering into a conflict, but only about protecting the freedom of navigation. More than 70% of all South Korean oil imports go through this route, so securing the Strait of Hormuz is seen as a matter of national energy security.