South Korea announced the launch of naval patrol planes and a mine clearance team near the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea announced the launch of naval patrol planes and a mine clearance team near the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea's Defense Ministry announced it will send naval patrol planes and an explosives disposal team into the waters near the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

This news comes as South Korea continues to stress that it will not send a force to intervene militarily in the Iran war. But this is the country that wants to protect commercial shipping and provide energy through one of the most important waterways in the world.

A spokesman for South Korea's defense ministry confirmed Thursday that the country's government plans to expand the operational range of its naval anti-piracy unit known as the Chunghae. This unit is responsible for protecting commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden, near the coast of Somalia, and should expand its activities to the waters near the Strait of Hormuz. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that this mission would include sending a destroyer, a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, a crew of unmanned ships, unmanned submarines and remotely piloted vessels for underwater exploration.

According to Yonhap, the extension of the mission of the "Chongha" unit, which is currently authorized to operate until the end of this year, needs the approval of the parliament.

After Seoul announced that it was considering participating in the security of this waterway, Tehran warned South Korea against any deployment of forces in this regard.