South Korea plans to expand the operating area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit from the Gulf of Aden toward waters south of Oman, closer to the Strait of Hormuz. The government presents the move as protection for shipping and citizens, not participation in the United States war with Iran.
The revised mandate would reach waters near the Omani port of Duqm, about 650 kilometres from the strait, and roughly double the unit's operational radius to 1,930 kilometres. Cabinet endorsement is expected next week before the proposal goes to the National Assembly.
The mission currently includes a 4,400-tonne destroyer, a maritime helicopter, rigid-hull boats and around 300 service members. Seoul plans to add 75 personnel, including an explosive-ordnance team, and deploy a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to improve surveillance and convoy protection.
Defence officials say the force will remain under South Korean command and operate independently of allied units. The aircraft would be prohibited from targeting or monitoring Iranian territory, Iranian waters or the interior of Hormuz, an effort to make the mission's defensive boundaries explicit.
The distinction is politically sensitive because Donald Trump has criticised Seoul for insufficient support and reduced major joint military exercises. President Lee Jae Myung said in September that he would avoid a deployment capable of drawing South Korea into the conflict while considering a larger role in navigation security.
South Korea has a direct economic exposure: about 70 per cent of its oil imports came from the Middle East in 2025, much of it through Hormuz. The Cheonghae unit has protected commercial shipping off Somalia since 2009, giving the government an existing mission it can extend rather than creating a new coalition force.
Opposition lawmakers argue that changing the patrol zone amounts to a troop deployment regardless of the label and could invite Iranian retaliation. The government's credibility will depend on enforcing its geographic and intelligence restrictions. Any operation inside Hormuz would require a permissive environment and separate parliamentary approval.
