00:00As a result, South Korea is currently considering sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz.
00:03Of course, there are still many decisions to be made,
00:05such as getting approval from the National Assembly
00:06and deciding which unit should be dispatched.
00:08If the deployment is made official this time,
00:10it will be the first time in about 20 years
00:11that South Korea sends troops at the request of the United States
00:13since the deployment to Iraq during the Romuhayun administration in 2003.
00:17Originally, our government maintained the position
00:19that troops would only be dispatched after the current Middle East War ended
00:22or a ceasefire was reached.
00:23However, recently, the government changed its stance.
00:25Even though the war is ongoing, they are now preparing to send troops.
00:28A key official in the Ministry of National Defense
00:30has stated that they are making concrete preparations
00:32to deploy naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz.
00:36We have also confirmed that the Navy is making concrete preparations
00:39for deployment to the Strait of Hormuz
00:40and that preparations are underway regarding how to get to the Strait of Hormuz.
00:44Currently, the military's deployment forces are said to include
00:46the P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft,
00:48a naval logistics support ship,
00:50and an explosive ordnance disposal team.
00:51It is said that the underwater demolition team will be included in the EOD team.
00:54Currently, the military is continuing preparations for mine clearance.
00:57The Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft is expected to be tasked
01:00with monitoring Iranian surface ships and submarines.
01:02The EOD team is expected to conduct joint operations
01:05with foreign naval vessels and continue mine clearance and disposal tasks.
01:08In addition, the logistics support ship is expected to play a role
01:10in providing rear support for the Maritime Patrol aircraft and the EOD team.
01:13The government has already informed the United States
01:15of its intention to dispatch the new logistics support ship Soyang
01:18and the P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft.
01:20They are reportedly in discussions about specific plans.
01:23The military is reportedly already in talks and negotiations
01:25with neighboring countries regarding bases and operational sites.
01:28Since the patrol aircraft and logistics support ship
01:30cannot go directly to the Strait of Hormuz,
01:32they will have to stop at foreign bases.
01:34Also, during the operation period,
01:35airports and ports in neighboring countries will be needed for logistical support,
01:38so it seems that discussions are underway with allied countries.
01:40In the end, internal reviews are ongoing,
01:41and a motion for troop deployment is expected to be submitted
01:43to the National Assembly soon.
01:44For the actual troop deployment, decisions by the National Security Council,
01:47NSC approval by the Cabinet, and consent from the National Assembly are required.
01:50In particular, for the bill to pass the plenary session of the National Assembly,
01:53more than half of the registered members must be present,
01:55and more than half of those present must vote in favor.
01:57Currently, the composition of the National Assembly is as follows.
01:59The Democratic Party of Korea has 161 seats.
02:01The People Power Party has 109 seats.
02:02The Rebuilding Korea Party has 12 seats.
02:04The Progressive Party has 4 seats.
02:05The Reform Party has 3 seats.
02:06The Basic Income Party has 1 seat.
02:07The Social Democratic Party has 1 seat.
02:08And there are 8 independents.
02:09Therefore, the ruling party alone can push the deployment through.
02:11Also, since some members of the People Power Party have previously shown support for troop
02:14deployment, this is something we should pay attention to as well.
02:17Many media outlets are saying that, as early as September,
02:20the motion for troop deployment could be submitted to the National Assembly.
02:22It is expected that President Li J. Meng will visit the United Nations General Assembly
02:25from September 18th to 28th,
02:27and it seems that they are trying to coordinate actions to coincide with this timing.
02:30If the National Assembly also gives its consent,
02:32we will be sending troops at the request of the United States
02:33for the first time in 22 years
02:35since the deployment of the Zaytun Unit to Iraq in 2004.
02:38The exact scale of the deployment has not been confirmed yet.
02:40However, for logistics support and initial equipment operation,
02:43at least 150 troops are needed.
02:44Of course, the deployment won't happen right away.
02:47Even during the Iraq deployment,
02:48the National Assembly's ratification was postponed twice.
02:51There will also be a lot of public backlash.
02:53First of all, I'm curious about your thoughts,
02:55so please let me know in the comments whether you support or oppose the deployment.
02:58There will definitely be significant public opinion against the deployment.
03:01On top of that, from the government's perspective,
03:03sending troops itself is a huge political gamble,
03:06and since President Li J. Meng's approval rating is also continuing to decline,
03:09it's hard for them to risk deploying troops.
03:12Then why did the government suddenly change its stance like this?
03:15Actually, the biggest reason is because of pressure from the United States.
03:18According to government sources,
03:20the pressure from the U.S. is very strong right now.
03:22President Trump even called Korea a free rider before.
03:25President Trump said that the United States is stationing 40,000 troops
03:29to protect South Korea from Kim Jong-un,
03:31and questioned whether Korea wouldn't even help
03:33with a very simple military operation in Iran.
03:35At the end of last month,
03:37he also said that Korea refused a request to help with the Iran issue
03:39and that he would remember this.
03:40And there was also an unprecedented event
03:42where the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises
03:44were scaled down while they were underway.
03:46Because of this,
03:46it seems that the government decided to send troops out of a sense of crisis
03:49to prevent further deterioration of South Korea-U.S. relations.
03:52At the Blue House,
03:52officials met with reporters and said that
03:54in order to make a practical contribution in the Hormuz Strait,
03:57they are considering various options
03:58regarding the readiness posture on the Korean peninsula.
04:01In fact, this means they are considering the changes in readiness posture
04:03in the event of troop deployment.
04:04It also means that they are leaving open a significant possibility of sending troops.
04:07However, the Blue House said that they are currently in the review stage
04:10regarding ways to contribute in the Strait of Hormuz
04:12and that nothing has been decided yet.
04:13They also stated that,
04:14when considering these options,
04:16they are following domestic legal procedures.
04:18And they stated that they are reviewing the option
04:20of deploying our troops to the Hormuz Strait
04:21according to proper procedures.
04:23Fortunately, our troops will not be going in alone.
04:25The UK and France are also continuing to review the deployment of their troops,
04:29and it seems that we are considering deployment
04:30together with several Western allies such as the UK and France.
04:33But there is an important point we need to consider here.
04:36Even if the forces the government is considering are non-combat assets,
04:39a non-combat deployment does not necessarily mean a safe deployment.
04:42We need to consider that the actual operations are taking place
04:45in the Strait of Hormuz,
04:46where military tensions between the US and Iran continue.
04:48If the P-8A Poseidon is assigned maritime surveillance missions on site,
04:52it will have to continuously monitor military activities
04:54occurring in the surrounding waters.
04:55In this process, there is also a possibility
04:57that it will operate in the same operational area as US or other allied warships.
05:01Even if the South Korean military does not directly carry out attack missions,
05:04the maritime information collected on site
05:05could be used in the operational decisions of the allied forces.
05:08In this case,
05:08how Iran evaluates the activities of the South Korean military
05:11becomes an important issue.
05:12Even the logistics support ships cannot be completely free from danger.
05:16Unlike warships,
05:17logistics support ships do not carry out direct attack missions,
05:19but they stay in the operational area
05:21and provide supplies and support needed by other military assets.
05:24Especially in situations where tensions are high,
05:26the location and movement routes of the ships themselves
05:28can become important factors.
05:29The threats that can occur at sea
05:31are not limited to just missiles or drones.
05:33You also have to consider situations where mines are laid
05:35or small, unmanned boats approach,
05:37as well as situations where collisions occur
05:38caused by misidentification between merchant ships and warships.
05:41Especially in the Hormuz region,
05:43ships have to operate in a limited maritime space.
05:45When warships and merchant ships from multiple countries
05:47are moving at the same time,
05:48the likelihood of unexpected situations increases
05:50if military tensions rise.
05:51Even if the mission carried out by the Korean military on site
05:54is limited to maritime surveillance or removing threats,
05:56the operational environment itself cannot be considered safe.
05:58Another important aspect is the scope of the mission.
06:00Even if the government clearly defines the mission
06:02at the time of deployment,
06:03the actual operational environment can change
06:06if the local situation changes.
06:07For example,
06:08if threats in a certain sea area increase
06:09or if the passage of Korean vessels is restricted,
06:12additional surveillance and support may be required.
06:14At this point,
06:14it becomes important to determine
06:15how far the Korean military will carry out its mission
06:17and under what circumstances it will suspend operations.
06:20Even if the Korean government sets a principle
06:22of not participating in combat,
06:23there is no guarantee
06:24that the other country will judge by the same standard.
06:26Especially if the Korean military operates
06:28in the same area as the United States,
06:29the United Kingdom or France,
06:31Iran may separately assess Korea's military role.
06:33Therefore,
06:34we should not judge the level of risk
06:35based solely on the name of the deployment
06:36or the type of forces involved.
06:38So there's one more thing we need to consider here.
06:40What is the real purpose of Korea
06:41dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz?
06:43From the government's perspective,
06:44ensuring the safe navigation of Korean vessels
06:46and protecting maritime routes
06:47can be important justifications,
06:48since Korea relies heavily on overseas energy
06:50and raw materials,
06:51the stability of major maritime routes
06:52is directly linked to the national economy.
06:54Therefore,
06:54activities to ensure the safety of vessels
06:56in the Strait of Hormuz
06:56can be explained as being connected
06:58to Korea's national interest.
06:59However,
06:59it's hard to say that the meaning
07:00of the troop deployment from the U.S. perspective
07:02is exactly the same
07:03as that of the Korean government.
07:04For the United States,
07:05the very fact that allied countries
07:06are making military contributions
07:08in the Strait of Hormuz
07:08can have significant meaning.
07:10In particular,
07:10missions such as maritime surveillance
07:12or removing explosives
07:13can also have the effect of supporting
07:14the operational activities of the U.S.
07:15and other allied countries on site.
07:17Here,
07:17the boundary between international activities
07:19for maritime safety
07:20and activities supporting
07:21the military operations
07:22of a specific country
07:22becomes an issue.
07:23Even if Korea explains
07:24that it is participating
07:25for the safety of its own ships,
07:26if it operates in the same
07:27operational environment
07:28as the United States,
07:29outsiders may view this
07:30as support for the U.S. military
07:31activities in the Middle East.
07:33What's more important
07:33is the scope of the mission
07:34after deployment.
07:35Even if the mission is initially set
07:36around maritime safety
07:37and surveillance,
07:38if the local situation changes,
07:39it is hard to rule out
07:40the possibility
07:41that the United States
07:42or other allied countries
07:43may request additional cooperation.
07:45This is why Korea
07:45needs to set clear standards.
07:46in advance
07:47for how far it will cooperate.
07:48In particular,
07:49the Korean government's judgment
07:50that the deployment
07:51was necessary for its own country
07:52and the United States' assessment
07:54that it is a military contribution
07:55from an ally
07:56are two different matters.
07:57Even for the same activities,
07:58there may be differences
07:59in the roles expected
08:00by the two countries.
08:01Therefore,
08:01when looking at this deployment,
08:02we shouldn't just focus
08:03on the justification
08:03for Korea's participation
08:04but also need to check
08:05what actual role
08:06Korea will take on in the field.
08:07This is because
08:08the nature of this deployment
08:09can vary greatly
08:10depending on whether
08:10it is a maritime security activity
08:11for Korea's national interest
08:13or if it also includes
08:13supporting military operations
08:15of allied countries
08:15including the United States.
08:17In the end,
08:17the conflict surrounding
08:18the Strait of Hormuz
08:19has now reached us as well.
08:21As always,
08:22I hope we make a wise decision.
08:24Furthermore,
08:25if we end up dispatching troops,
08:26I hope that every single one
08:27of our soldiers
08:28returns safely
08:29without anyone getting hurt.
08:30Ah.
