The Presidential Office said Sunday it is reviewing Washington's call for South Korea to join a Strait of Hormuz breakthrough operation, taking into account "the principle of freedom of navigation, readiness on the Korean Peninsula, and domestic legal procedures."
The response came after U.S. President Donald Trump specifically named South Korea on Saturday (local time), demanding its participation in the operation.
"The government has been actively participating in various international efforts for the swift stabilization, recovery, and normalization of the global maritime logistics network, based on the position that the safety of international sea lanes and freedom of navigation serve the common interests of all nations and are principles that must be protected under international law," the Presidential Office said in a press release Sunday.
"In this context, we are paying close attention to President Trump's related remarks, and are reviewing the U.S. proposal regarding the Strait of Hormuz in light of the aforementioned principle, readiness on the Korean Peninsula, and domestic legal procedures," it added. "Regarding the Freedom Project, Seoul and Washington have been maintaining continuous and close communication on the stable use of key sea lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz."
Trump claimed the previous day that the fire aboard a South Korean cargo ship in the Hormuz was an Iranian attack, writing on his social networking service (SNS) the same day: "It's time for South Korea to join this operation!" The "operation" Trump referred to is the "Liberation Project" aimed at extracting third-country vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, while the Presidential Office is maintaining a cautious stance.
The Presidential Office had earlier been reserved, saying, "We need time to determine at the very least whether (the incident) was an attack or not." It made clear that establishing the precise cause comes first, and the National Security Council (NSC) has not been separately convened so far, according to sources. While Trump has pressured Seoul to join the "Liberation Project" in connection with the incident, the Presidential Office's approach is interpreted as an intent to calmly assess the situation rather than respond immediately.
Separately, the Presidential Office held a meeting to review and respond to the Hormuz maritime vessel fire, chaired by Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik. Presidential Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced the meeting, saying attendees included Kim Sang-ho, head of the National Crisis Management Center at the National Security Office; Lee Hyun, presidential secretary for maritime affairs and fisheries; Choi Hee-deok, secretary for foreign policy; and Kim Jung-woo, head of the State Affairs Monitoring Center.
