National security adviser briefs reporters at Cheong Wa Dae, going a step further than his stance at Thursday's National Assembly national audit

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac answers questions from members of the National Assembly's steering committee during a national audit of the Presidential Secretariat, National Security Office and Presidential Security Service on Thursday. [Yonhap]
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac answers questions from members of the National Assembly's steering committee during a national audit of the Presidential Secretariat, National Security Office and Presidential Security Service on Thursday. [Yonhap]

The government is reviewing options to strengthen and expand the activities of the Cheonghae Unit to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and protect South Korean vessels, officials said.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac met with reporters at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday to outline the government's response to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. "Specifically, we are deliberating on options including strengthening and expanding the Cheonghae Unit's activities, though the review has not yet been finalized," Wi said.

Wi said the government would maintain its principle of never engaging or intervening in war under any circumstances, while continuing the minimum activities necessary to protect South Korean merchant vessels, secure crude oil shipments and safeguard the lives and safety of its citizens, along with contributing to international efforts.

The remarks went a step further than Wi's position at the National Assembly steering committee's national audit on Thursday, when Wi said the government had reviewed the deployment of maritime patrol aircraft but had not reached a decision on the matter.

Wi also expressed confidence that the government would achieve concrete progress on the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, by early next year.

Wi said the leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed at their summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September to deepen cooperation on OPCON transfer and continue follow-up consultations. Wi added that the two countries' defense ministers reaffirmed close cooperation toward OPCON transfer at their meeting on Wednesday, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reconfirming Washington's commitment to the transfer.

"The two defense ministers plan to hold talks in Washington in December, and a Security Consultative Meeting is scheduled for early next year," Wi said. "We believe we will be able to achieve substantive progress on OPCON transfer."

Wi also addressed the diplomatic friction with Ukraine over the repatriation of captured North Korean soldiers, acknowledging that trust between the two countries had been damaged by Ukraine's breach of a confidential agreement, but said Seoul would treat the matter separately from its broader support for Ukraine within the international community.

"As a responsible member of the international community, we will continue to participate in international efforts to support Ukraine," Wi said, adding that the government's sanctions against Russia and export control policies, maintained in coordination with the international community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, remain unchanged.

On managing military tensions with North Korea, Wi reaffirmed the government's principled response to a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone and its intention to pursue inter-Korean military talks. Wi said South Korea is conducting a joint investigation with the United Nations Command into the incident, in which South Korean soldiers were seriously injured by a North Korean landmine, and has called on Pyongyang to apologize and take responsible measures.


sang@heraldcorp.com