Koreans oppose Hormuz deployment, but those in 20s less resistant: Polls

While the Korean public generally remains opposed to deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, people in their 20s showed a different pattern — with one poll even showing support among the age group nearly twice as high as opposition.

A total of 55 percent of survey respondents were opposed to deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz while 32 percent supported it, according to a Gallup Korea survey published Friday. The survey was conducted among 1,000 people aged 18 and above between Wednesday and Friday.

Another poll, the National Barometer Survey (NBS), found 45 percent of respondents opposing the deployment and 36 percent supporting it. The survey was conducted among 1,002 people aged 18 and above between Monday and Wednesday.

The results among people in their 20s stood out in the NBS poll. In the survey, 40 percent of respondents in their 20s supported deployment, nearly twice the 22 percent who opposed it. It was the only age group in which support exceeded opposition.

Gallup Korea's was a bit different, with 34 percent of respondents in their 20s in favor of deployment and 50 percent opposed.

Still, the opposition rate among people in their 20s was the second lowest among age groups. Respondents in their 30s had the lowest opposition rate at 49 percent.

It was also 13 percentage points below the 63 percent among people in their 40s, which was the highest of any age group.

Despite the different results, both polls suggested relatively less resistance to a deployment among people in their 20s than among most other age groups.

That marks a sharp contrast with public sentiment during Korea's deployment to Iraq 23 years ago. Polls back then showed more than 60 percent of people in their 20s and 30s opposed sending combat troops to Iraq, with younger generations at the forefront of opposition to the deployment.

Now, it is supporters of the ruling bloc who are at the center of opposition to deployment.

Among Democratic Party supporters, 69 percent opposed deployment in the Gallup Korea poll and 55 percent in the NBS poll. The figures far exceeded the respective support rates of 21 percent and 31 percent.

Among People Power Party supporters, support for deployment stood at 50 percent in the Gallup Korea poll and 46 percent in the NBS poll. The figures exceeded the respective opposition rates of 36 percent and 40 percent.

With ruling party supporters opposed to deployment, the government appears to be trying to move away from the “troop deployment” framing. There is reportedly concern within the government that what began as a review of a limited, noncombat contribution has become politically contentious after being framed as a “troop deployment.”

President Lee Jae Myung also avoided directly mentioning a troop deployment during a meeting with senior aides Friday.

“More than ever, we need the wisdom that would allow us to work closely with the international community and find ways to address the challenges we face,” Lee said during the meeting.

The remarks were seen as distancing the administration from the term “troop deployment” while leaving open the need for international cooperation to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun expressed similar concerns in a text message sent Tuesday to Moon Chung-in, a professor emeritus at Yonsei University.

“This is an issue of limited participation for the safety of international maritime routes, but I am concerned that political circles keep framing it as a troop deployment,” Cho wrote in the text message, according to Prof. Moon on Thursday.

Presidential secretary for public relations and communications Seong Ghi-hong also sought to draw a distinction.

“We should not immediately equate contributing to freedom of navigation with a troop deployment,” Seong said Wednesday on YouTube.

The following day, he said, “If troop deployment is not the option, technical support could also be possible.”

Amid clashing opinions, a government fact-finding mission on possible involvement in the Strait of Hormuz has concluded. The team, which left Korea last weekend to examine the operational environment and other conditions in the United Arab Emirates, returned Thursday.

Under a Defense Ministry directive, the team is required to prepare a report on its findings after returning and submit it to the National Security Council. The possibility that specific forms of contribution based on the team's findings could be discussed at the council's standing committee meeting next Thursday has been raised by government officials and observers.

Iran, meanwhile, has continued to push back against possible Korean military involvement in the region.

Cho spoke by phone Friday with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi at Iran's request.

“We have consistently maintained that the free and safe passage of all vessels, including ours, through the Strait of Hormuz must be guaranteed,” Cho said during the call, according to the Korean ministry. “We have also continued to participate in international efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait.”

Araghchi then explained Iran's position on the current situation in the Middle East, the ministry said. Although no details were given, Iran may also have conveyed its concerns about Korea's ongoing deliberations during Friday's call.

Iran had publicly warned against possible Korean military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz, with foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei issuing a message in Korean to that effect on X on Monday.

“Any country that stations military forces in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz or participates in military operations will inevitably be regarded as directly supporting the aggressor,” Baghaei wrote. “This will have serious consequences.”

BY YOON JI-WON [[email protected]]