Operation zone extended to south of Oman's Duqm port; personnel to reach 395

Mission adds 'freedom of navigation' mandate; Hormuz entry requires separate Assembly approval

Iran urges South Korea to refrain from deploying forces under pretext of reopening strait

The Wanggon, the vessel of the 48th Cheonghae Unit contingent, departs from Busan Naval Base in Nam-gu, Busan, as troops see it off at a farewell ceremony. [Yonhap]
The Wanggon, the vessel of the 48th Cheonghae Unit contingent, departs from Busan Naval Base in Nam-gu, Busan, as troops see it off at a farewell ceremony. [Yonhap]

The government reviewed a revised bill Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting to extend the Cheonghae Unit's deployment, expanding its operational zone to the open waters south of Oman and adding a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and unmanned minesweeping assets. The bill will go to the National Assembly after presidential approval. With the current deployment mandate expiring Dec. 31, the Assembly must complete both a Defense Committee review and a plenary vote within roughly 50 days.

The Defense Ministry is understood to have asked the Assembly to cooperate toward a plenary session submission as early as Monday. Because the bill is not legislation, it does not require review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Observers inside and outside the Assembly expect it to reach the floor around the end of this month — a sharp contrast with last year, when the bill was submitted Aug. 28 and took three months to clear the plenary on Nov. 27.

The Special Committee on Budget and Accounts is set to convene its budget adjustment subcommittee from Monday, and the statutory deadline for passing the budget bill falls on Dec. 2, raising concerns that the dispatch bill could receive rushed scrutiny.

The submission came significantly later than in previous years. The Defense Ministry's directive on overseas troop deployments requires that extension bills for non-UN peacekeeping operations units be submitted before the regular legislative session opens. This year's submission missed that deadline and is on track to be the latest in a decade. Deliberations over how to contribute to the Strait of Hormuz and public concern about involvement in the war are cited as the main reasons for the delay.

The Cheonghae Unit's operational zone will expand from the Gulf of Aden to the southern end of Oman's Duqm port — roughly double the current area of about 600 nautical miles. Duqm port lies approximately 350 nautical miles (650 kilometers) from the Strait of Hormuz in a straight line; the Gulf of Oman, which borders the strait, is excluded from the zone. Additional assets will include one P-8A aircraft, unmanned minesweeping forces and an explosive ordnance disposal team, with Djibouti designated as the main base. Personnel will increase by 75 to about 395.

The mission mandate has been updated to include "support for restoring freedom of navigation on international sea lanes." Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told the full session of the Assembly's Defense Committee on Monday that the principle of non-involvement and non-interference in the war would be upheld, and that extending operations into the Strait of Hormuz would require separate Assembly approval.

During the Assembly review, two issues are expected to dominate debate: criticism from some members of the ruling bloc who have characterized the plan as an indirect deployment, and concerns about the strain on South Korea's maritime patrol aircraft fleet. The Navy currently operates six P-8A aircraft.

The Navy said it is taking steps to maintain its target operational readiness rate, and that once the P-3CK — currently grounded — returns to operational flights, there should be no significant impact on operations on the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday (local time), in response to the planned expansion of the Cheonghae Unit's operational zone, that "South Korea should refrain from deploying military forces to the region under the pretext of supporting the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz."

In response, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government "is proceeding with a dispatch extension bill to strengthen the Cheonghae Unit's mission under the principle of non-involvement and non-interference in the war, with the aim of protecting its citizens and safeguarding its economic interests," adding that it "is maintaining ongoing communication with Iran and other relevant countries."


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com