South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that Seoul would not deploy military assets to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into the war in Iran, although it was considering a greater role in protecting navigation in the region.
South Korea maintains a naval presence off Somalia for an anti-piracy mission, while resisting calls from US President Donald Trump for greater military support for Washington amid the conflict with Iran.
“There won’t be deployment that would involve or enter war. I can tell you that very clearly,” Lee said at a news conference.
He said South Korea would, however, take limited measures alongside other countries to protect commercial shipping, crude oil shipments and the safety of its nationals.
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The government has been considering a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, although the proposal has faced domestic opposition. Trump has criticised Seoul for what he described as insufficient support for the war, while the United States scaled back major joint military exercises with South Korea this summer.
On economic ties, Lee said commercial viability remained the main obstacle to an agreement on South Korea’s investment commitments to the United States, although he said the two sides were nearing a deal.
South Korea agreed last year to invest $350 billion in US manufacturing in return for Washington reducing tariffs on South Korean imports to 15 per cent. Seoul postponed a parliamentary briefing on the investment plans until next week.
Lee also said a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could take place in the coming months if the necessary conditions were met.
“President Trump wants talks, and I want him to as well, and we’re continuing coordination to make dialogue between the North and the US possible,” he said.
