South Korea has expanded the deployment of an anti-piracy unit in the Middle East amid rising geopolitical tension.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Cheonghae troops will be operating in the Gulf of Oman and the Middle East Gulf to ensure the safety of Korean citizens and vessels.
As South Korea’s first overseas anti-piracy unit, Cheonghae has been operating in the Gulf of Aden since 2009.
Currently, a 300-strong special force team is stationed onboard the 4,400-tonne destroyer Wang Geon as Cheonghae’s 31st deployment, according to local media.
"In consideration of the current situation in the Middle East, the Korean government decided to temporarily expand the dispatch area for Cheonghae troops to ensure the safety of Korean citizens and the free navigation of ships," the ministry said in a web statement.
The action has come after the US called on Seoul to join the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a navy patrol coalition of countries including the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia.
In an attempt to avoid further tension with Iran, formerly one of the top crude suppliers to South Korea, the ministry said Cheonghae will operate independently of the IMSC. However, the ministry will deploy liaison personnel to the coalition’s headquarters in Bahrain.
This followed a similar stance of Japan, which has dispatched its own destroyer to the Gulf of Oman to protect the country's oil supplies.
More than 70% of South Korea’s crude imports transit via the Strait of Hormuz, while about 25,000 South Korean live in the Middle East, according to the ministry.
South Korea — the world’s fifth largest buyer of overseas crude — imported 2.87 million barrels per day in 2019, according to customs data cited by Reuters.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the US were the country’s top three suppliers last year, while Iranian shipments have halted since May 2019 when South Korea’s waiver for US sanctions against Iran expired.
