Team departed for UAE last weekend
Ministry says probe not premised on actual deployment
The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that it has sent a survey team to the Middle East ahead of a potential decision on deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, a move the United States has been requesting.
The team departed for the UAE last weekend and is currently examining operational conditions on the ground for a possible deployment, the ministry said. The team is expected to return to South Korea as early as this week, after which it will report its findings to the National Security Council.
"We sent the survey team to assess the situation on the ground in the Hormuz region," a ministry official said. "The team is meant to gauge the security situation and other conditions in the area, and this survey is not premised on an actual troop deployment."
The official went on to say, "Nothing has been decided regarding a deployment." While the government has sent the team to the Middle East to help inform a decision on deployment, no decision to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz has been made, the official added.
Should a deployment be decided later, the government would need to submit the plan to the National Security Council and then obtain ratification from the National Assembly. A troop deployment bill submitted to the Assembly must include the deployment area, the rationale for the deployment, the size, duration and mission of the deployed unit, the chain of command and the budget. Passage requires attendance by a majority of registered lawmakers, with a majority of those present voting in favor.
yeongdai@heraldcorp.com
