The Korea Times

COVER STORY Hormuz deployment could expose Korea to unnecessary risks: critics

Korea should stay out of the U.S.-led military mission in the Strait of Hormuz because participating in a war with questionable legitimacy would undermine Seoul’s diplomatic principles and expose it to unnecessary security risks, critics said. They argued that even a limited contribution involving noncombat assets would effectively amount to participation in military operations. They also rejected the idea that concerns over the Korea-U.S. alliance or pending economic and security negotiations should compel Seoul to join the mission. “The war itself does not have sufficient justification,” political commentator Lee Kang-yun said, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump has faced criticism for what he described as an impulsive approach to international relations and foreign policy, including starting the war with Iran in late February. Lee also noted that the conflict has become increasingly bogged down, while the U.S. Navy is in a difficult position that makes it harder for Washington to disengage. “It is under these circumstances that the U.S. is pressuring us,” he said. Civic