Protesters gathered near the US Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday to rally against joining the US war with Iran, as the South Korean government is considering deploying military forces to help the US efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Carrying signs that read “Do Not Join a War of Aggression” and “No Military Deployment to Hormuz,” the protesters chanted, “We cannot send our young people into a sea of death,” according to AFP, which reported from the scene and estimated that about 60 people took part in the demonstration.
“Sending our troops to an illegal war waged by the United States is unacceptable,” Choi Young-ok, a member of Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification, a group that is highly critical of the US military presence in South Korea, told AFP.
“There is no reason for us to send troops when no other country has done so or said it would,” added Choi, who also warned that sending South Korean troops would “inevitably lead to casualties.”
Also on Wednesday, the office of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said it has not yet made a final decision on whether Seoul will send troops to the Strait of Hormuz. “The government has not yet finalized its policy and is cautiously assessing it,” said Seong Ghi-hong, a press secretary for the presidential office.
Due to its reliance on energy and other exports from the Persian Gulf, the US’s war with Iran has triggered an energy and economic shock in South Korea, and the US is now reportedly putting pressure on Seoul to join the war in some way.
The South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that the South Korean Defense Ministry has sent a fact-finding mission to the region to assess the potential deployment. The team is expected to visit the UAE, which hosts US military bases, and could serve as a hub for operations if South Korean forces are deployed to assist in the war.
Amid the South Korean government’s deliberations, Iran has warned Seoul not to get involved. “The military presence or operational participation of other nations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz would inevitably be viewed as direct support for the party committing acts of aggression, and would lead to serious consequences,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei wrote on X on Monday.
