Lee weighs expanded role protecting Korean shipping in region
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that his country would not deploy military assets that could draw it into the United States’ war in Iran, resisting calls from President Donald Trump to back the conflict. “There won’t be deployment that would involve or enter war. I can tell you that very clearly,” Lee told a news conference. “We won’t deploy military assets in any form to that end.”
The statement resolves recent speculation over whether Seoul would contribute forces to the Strait of Hormuz. The idea was proving unpopular domestically, with protesters rallying in Seoul against the potential deployment.
Lee drew a line between war involvement and protecting Korean interests at sea. “It is also clear that we must do the minimum as other countries do to protect our commercial shipping and crude shipments, and also the safety of our people,” he said. South Korea already maintains a naval presence off Somalia as part of an anti-piracy mission, and Lee was reviewing whether to play a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the region.
The statement comes amid friction between the two allies. Trump has criticized Seoul for what he called insufficient support for the Iran war, and the United States scaled back major joint military drills with South Korea this summer in a move that unsettled Seoul. South Korea’s government had been reviewing a possible military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, though the proposal was proving unpopular domestically.
Asked about a separate set of trade negotiations, Lee said concern over the commercial viability of a U.S. investment package was the main sticking point in talks on Seoul’s commitments under its trade deal with Washington. South Korea committed last year to invest $350 billion in U.S. manufacturing in exchange for Washington lowering tariffs on Korean imports to 15 percent. Seoul postponed a parliamentary briefing on the investment plans this week; the briefing is expected next week instead. Lee said there were elements that were difficult for Seoul to accept, but that the two sides were nearing an agreement.
On North Korea, Lee said a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un was possible in the coming months, but that many factors needed to align. “What’s clear is that President Trump wants talks, and I want him to as well, and we’re continuing coordination to make dialogue between the North and the US possible,” he said. North Korean state media has so far remained largely silent on Trump’s repeated calls for such a meeting. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Trump has been pushing aides for a meeting with Kim as soon as autumn.