South Korea’s anti-piracy unit to expand operations closer to Hormuz

South Korea plans to expand its anti-piracy mission off Somalia to waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Yonhap News Agency, citing South Korean officials.

In a statement, officials said the South Korean government would submit a motion to parliament to extend the Cheonghae unit’s deployment mandate in the Middle East, which was set to expire at the end of the year.

Yonhap said the proposed expansion would extend its operational area from the Gulf of Aden to waters south of Oman in the Arabian Sea, roughly doubling its operational radius to about 1,930km.

The decision followed months of deliberation over Seoul’s role in international efforts to keep strategic waterways open since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February. The statement pointed out that Seoul had effectively turned down requests from Washington for direct military support against Tehran.

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Source of information: Global News Agencies including REUTERS / TASS / AFP / ANADOLU / INT.RU / Al Jazeera / CNN