S. Korea reportedly considering expanding Cheonghae Unit’s operational scope to Strait of Hormuz

Map of Strait of Hormuz region

Seoul calling for independent deployment in consideration of relationship with Iran

Map of Strait of Hormuz region

The Hankyoreh learned on Dec. 18 that the South Korean government is strongly considering the option of expanding the operational scope of its Cheonghae Unit, an anti-piracy naval squadron that’s scheduled to start a mission in the Gulf of Aden, in Somalia, in February 2020. Such an expansion would enable the unit to also be dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz.

These considerations are influenced by continuing requests from the US, a key ally, for Seoul to join a military coalition Washington is building in the Strait of Hormuz. But such a move would likely prove controversial, since it would send South Korean ships and troops into an international conflict zone.

Currently, the 4,400-ton ROKS Gang Gam-chan is carrying out anti-piracy operations in waters near the Bay of Aden, as part of the Cheonghae Unit’s 30th mission. Since the Cheonghae Unit performs six-month missions, the 4,400-ton ROKS Wang Geon will launch the unit’s 31st mission in February 2020. That’s when the government is thinking about expanding the unit’s operational scope to include the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is about 1,800km away from the Bay of Aden, at most a three-day journey for the Wang Geon.

Toward that end, the South Korean government will reportedly be dispatching a naval officer to a joint command and control base in Bahrain early next year. Established last month on the initiative of the US, this base is the operational headquarters of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), which was set up to defend the Strait of Hormuz. The South Korean naval officer will be responsible for determining the overall operational situation in the strait and identifying the Cheonghae Unit’s role and armament needs.

Even if the Wang Geon is deployed to the Strait of Hormuz, it would not necessarily join the US-led multilateral coalition. While the US hopes that South Korea will join, there’s reportedly a substantial contingent inside the South Korean government calling for independent deployment, in consideration of South Korea’s relationship with Iran. There’s likely to be a fierce tug-of-war between agreeing to American demands and taking an independent stance. At the moment, seven countries, including the UK, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, are part of the IMSC.

Seoul is keeping an eye on Japan as model for independent deployment

Seoul is also keeping an eye on the actions of Japan, which has opted for an independent deployment. Japan has announced that it will send a destroyer and patrol plane from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to the Strait of Hormuz for “survey and research” purposes, with a final decision expected in an upcoming cabinet meeting. For safety reasons, Japan has excluded the northwestern section of the Gulf of Oman, which leads into the strait, from its scope of operations, and reportedly intends to ask other countries’ ships for help even if a Japanese vessel is attacked in those waters.

One potentially contentious question is whether the National Assembly would have to approve the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit to the Strait of Hormuz. The South Korean government appears to believe that no additional consent would be necessary, since the unit’s operational scope is defined as “the waters designated for activities designed to protect Korean citizens.” But there could still be objections, since deployment to the Strait of Hormuz differs from the Cheonghae Unit’s original anti-piracy mission.

“Assuming that the Cheonghae Unit can enter the Strait of Hormuz without the consent of the National Assembly is an extralegal interpretation,” opined Justice Party leader Sim Sang-jung.

NGOs including People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy argue that “if the government wants to change the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area, it must take steps to receive separate approval from the National Assembly, to ensure the legitimacy and constitutionality of the deployment.”

There are also considerable concerns about whether it would even be safe to send the Cheonghae Unit to the Strait of Hormuz at its current level. Since the unit’s troops and equipment were selected for an anti-piracy mission, it could face difficulties in carrying out missions against Iran, which possesses submarines and other advanced weaponry. But once again, beefing up the unit’s numbers and equipment would require separate approval by the National Assembly, some think. The resolution approving the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit limited its size to one destroyer of at least 4,000 tons, one Lynx helicopter, and no more than 320 personnel.

By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer

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