The South Korean President today denied that the country is considering sending a detachment of its armed forces to the Strait of Ormuz, or any other participation in the conflict between the United States and Iran.
© Lusa
18/09/2026
by
Lusa
“There will be no involvement or intervention in the war. We will not highlight troops or military means in this way,” Lee Jae Myung told journalists during a press conference.
“ We have maintained this principle so far. This principle will remain unchanged in the future”, he insisted.
Lee said that, like other countries, South Korea will continue to take the necessary measures to protect commercial navigation, ensure energy supply and safeguard its citizens.
The South Korean President acknowledged that there are fears that these actions may be interpreted as an involvement in the conflict or lead to the sending of military forces to the region, but ensured that Seoul will not deploy troops to the war zone or directly participate in hostilities.
“ So far we have respected the principle of non-participation and non-intervention in war, and we will continue to respect it in the future”, he stressed.
US President Donald Trump has pressured his South Korean ally to gain support in the Middle East war, which led Iran to take control of the strait through which around one-fifth of world oil and liquefied natural gas exports normally transit.
In early September, the South Korean Government stated that it was considering providing “contributory” for U.S. security efforts in the strait, provided this did not compromise the operational capabilities of its own armed forces.
The executive also announced the sending of a team to assess the situation in the strait, insisting, however, that no decision has yet been taken on a possible military deployment.