Gov't reviews whether to join U.S.-led military operation to extract vessels in Hormuz
Published: 05 May. 2026, 16:42
Updated: 05 May. 2026, 18:47
![U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington on April 29. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/05/a7064386-023a-404b-af6a-217372caa6cc.jpg)
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington on April 29. [AP/YONHAP]
The Korean government is reviewing whether to join a U.S.-led military operation to extract vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, officials said on Tuesday.
Launched by Washington on Monday, Operation Project Freedom is a military mission aimed at helping civilian vessels escape the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed by Iran since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against the country at the end of February.
The Korean government began mulling taking part in the mission — a departure from its longstanding strategy of remaining on the sidelines of the conflict between the United States and Iran — after U.S. President Donald Trump called on Seoul to join in the wake of an explosion aboard the Korean-operated cargo ship HMM Namu.
“We are reviewing the possibility of participating in the U.S.-led Operation Project Freedom from multiple angles,” a senior official from the ruling Democratic Party told the JoongAng Ilbo on Tuesday.
While Seoul had earlier indicated it would consider participating in the Maritime Freedom Construct, a multinational consultative body led by the U.S. State Department and U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the official’s comment marks the first time that Korea has referred to any direct involvement in a U.S.-named operational mission.
![A bulk cargo ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on May 2. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/05/c25da3fd-bf91-41f1-accb-14d5426b0e9e.jpg)
A bulk cargo ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on May 2. [AP/YONHAP]
The shift appears to be related to a message from Trump, which explicitly urged Seoul to join the operation following the HMM Namu incident.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, he wrote that Iran had attacked a Korean cargo ship and that “perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!”
Centcom has deployed multiple destroyers, around 100 aircraft and 15,000 troops to the Middle East as part of Project Freedom, resulting in clashes with Iranian forces attempting to block the operation, according to foreign media reports.
According to Centcom, U.S. naval forces intercepted an Iranian cruise missile and used Apache helicopters to sink boats that threatened commercial ships.
Participation in Project Freedom would entail a more proactive role for the Korean military than if Seoul joins a British- and French-led multinational force, which is premised on a lasting cease-fire.
The United States has also increased pressure on allies that have declined to participate.
It suggested it could withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany and reduce forces in Italy and Spain on Thursday, followed by warnings on Friday that it could levy a 25 percent tariff on European automobiles.
![U.S. President Donald Trump at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 18 [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/05/7e506fea-120f-4052-9799-29b9cee4710b.jpg)
U.S. President Donald Trump at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 18 [AP/YONHAP]
Given the nature of its alliance with the United States, Korea faces growing difficulty ignoring such demands.
Still, the government is maintaining a cautious stance.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting at around midnight on Tuesday to discuss its response to the incident involving the HMM Namu.
It said the cause of the explosion aboard the ship would likely be determined “after the vessel is towed and examined” through an objective investigation. The ministry thus refrained from concluding that Iran was responsible, buying the government more time to decide its stance in the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
The Blue House added that it “has yet to confirm [the explosion] as an attack.”
Meanwhile, the military is weighing a range of options as it monitors developments in the region, with a growing preference for providing support from outside the Strait of Hormuz rather than deploying naval vessels directly into the waterway, according to sources.
One option under consideration is to expand the operational scope of the Navy’s Cheonghae unit. The unit’s current mandate is to conduct antipiracy activities and protect Korean nationals and vessels in the Gulf of Aden, about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz.
Such a fundamental shift in the unit’s mission — in this case, taking on direct escort operations within the strait — would require approval from the National Assembly. But if the government merely extends the unit’s operational area to include waters near the strait, it could avoid the need to seek a new parliamentary vote.
“Providing support from outside the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most viable options,” said a senior official in the Democratic Party.
![Presidential spokersperson Kang Yu-jung gives a briefing during a press briefing at the Blue House in central Seoul on Feb. 2. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/05/d68d0c26-fd8c-48c8-86b9-dd6378df5972.jpg)
Presidential spokersperson Kang Yu-jung gives a briefing during a press briefing at the Blue House in central Seoul on Feb. 2. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik oversaw a separate meeting at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss which measures the government should take, according to Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung .
The head of the National Crisis Management Center, the presidential secretary for oceans and fisheries and the presidential secretary for foreign policy were all in attendance.
Blue House spokesperson Kang added that determining the cause of the incident may “take days” due to the many steps that must be taken before an investigation can be carried out.
“The government plans to use a tugboat contracted by the ship’s operator to move the vessel to a nearby port before berthing it,” she said. It will then “immediately dispatch personnel from the Korean Register’s local branch in Dubai to conduct a safety inspection.”
![A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17. [EUROPEAN UNION/REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/05/81247ea1-780f-4b48-b1f0-79bb64f1db1d.jpg)
A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17. [EUROPEAN UNION/REUTERS/YONHAP]
According to the spokesperson, authorities are working to safeguard the safety of the stranded vessel and its crew, as well as other Korean vessels stuck west of the Strait of Hormuz, while maintaining close contact with the United States, Iran and other Gulf countries.
However, with a Korean cargo ship directly affected by the hostilities, observers say it may become increasingly difficult for Seoul to adhere to its current principle of avoiding military involvement until the conclusion of the war.
“For a maritime trading nation such as ours, securing international shipping routes is a core national interest tied to our very survival, and the justification for participating [in the conflict] is already in place,” said Cho Koo-rae, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute and a former senior Foreign Ministry official. “Ensuring the right of passage through the Strait of Hormuz under international law is a matter of national strategy.”
“We need to set a clear direction at the level of national strategy while seriously consulting with the United States on effective ways to contribute that minimize diplomatic and military risks,” he added.
Update, May 5: Added comments from Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON JI-WON, SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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