PARIS — South Korea's presidential office said on the 8th that no decision has been made on whether to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz, adding that "the broad direction of how we will take part in international cooperation in Hormuz has been set, but the details are still under review."
A senior presidential official made the remarks to reporters at a press center in Paris after a summit between South Korea and France. Ahead of the summit, President Lee Jae-myung and French President Emmanuel Macron held a one-on-one luncheon at the Elysee Palace, where they discussed international issues including options for contributing to the Hormuz effort.
The senior official said the two leaders "discussed international efforts on freedom of navigation in the strait and on regional stability, and broadened their common ground." He added that Lee entered the talks with the basic position that, given the importance of stability in the strait, South Korea would work out specific contribution measures based on its own interests and on public consensus.
The official stressed, however, that "the discussions at this summit were in line with the review process and went no further," saying the situation "remains as it was." On the defense ministry's dispatch of a survey team to the Strait of Hormuz, he said the move "should be read as part of the review process. Nothing has been decided yet."
Asked whether there had been any contact with Iran during the government's review of a possible Hormuz deployment, the senior official said Iran "did ask about it in the course of working-level contacts after seeing media reports," but that there was "no meaningful response" from the Iranian side. He added that this was "probably because our side is still at the review stage."
On possible military contributions, the official reiterated that an earlier remark by a presidential official "was explaining the idea that military contributions could take various forms, and was not meant to suggest that combat is under consideration." He said, "We are reviewing various stages, but there is nothing specific."
