'Relevant agencies would have finished consultations through on-site dispatch'

'Opposition must judge whether decision serves national interest'

People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong said Friday that a potential troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz has left South Korea with "nothing to gain — neither in principle nor in practical terms."

Sung made the remarks during an appearance on YTN Radio, questioning whether the government had already decided to proceed with the deployment.

"Whether combat or non-combat troops, that judgment would also have been made internally," he said, adding that the head of the Defense Support Command had been dispatched to the UAE to assess the battlefield situation and security conditions on the ground.

"That means the government has already made its decision, and by the time things had progressed to that point, all relevant agencies would have finished their consultations," Sung said. "But whatever decision is made, South Korea has already lost a great deal — both in principle and in practical terms."

He noted that 70 percent of South Korea's crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and questioned how closely the deployment was tied to the country's national interest.

Sung also said that when South Korean assets and citizens came under fire, he had called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even then.

"Because the ruling party and the government hold all the intelligence and assessment materials, when their decision reaches the opposition, the opposition can then judge whether it serves the national interest and benefits the country — and make its determination accordingly," he said.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com