November 11, 2026
SEOUL – South Korea’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to expand the operational area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit closer to the Strait of Hormuz, with the proposal now awaiting National Assembly consent.
The decision, made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, comes amid Washington’s calls for allies and partners to help secure the strategic waterway, potentially expanding Seoul’s role in regional maritime security.
The motion will be submitted to the National Assembly, where the ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds a majority, after receiving Lee’s authorization. Approval requires more than half of all lawmakers in attendance and a majority vote.
Under the motion, the unit’s operational area would expand from the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, where it currently protects commercial vessels, to waters south of Oman, closer to the Strait of Hormuz.
The plan also provides for the deployment of an additional 75 personnel, comprising a 30-member explosive ordnance disposal team and 45 personnel to operate a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, along with uncrewed demining equipment.
The deployment is also intended to prepare for potential participation in international mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz, should conditions permit, including an end to US-Iran hostilities.
The move has drawn criticism from the minor Rebuilding Korea Party and Progressive Party, which argue that expanding the unit’s operations could amount to an indirect deployment in support of US military operations in the region.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday also urged South Korea to “refrain from deploying military forces” to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and avoid becoming involved in “an already complicated situation.”
Following Cabinet approval, South Korea’s Defense Ministry stressed that the unit would not become involved in the war.
“Under the principle that our Cheonghae unit will never become involved in or intervene in the war, the unit will operate under an independent chain of command and make every effort to protect our nationals and vessels,” the ministry said.
Lee calls for follow-through on Joing Fact Sheet
At the same Cabinet meeting, Lee called for stepped-up diplomatic efforts to ensure that security agreements with Washington are properly implemented while safeguarding South Korea’s national interests and corporate investments.
Speaking about last week’s US midterm elections, Lee emphasized the need to strengthen ties with Washington on a mutually beneficial basis and broaden diplomatic engagement across the American political landscape to help ensure that bilateral commitments under their Joint Fact Sheet are carried out.
“Various changes in the external environment are expected following the US midterm elections,” Lee said.
Lee instructed relevant government ministries and agencies to “analyze the various anticipated variables from multiple angles and carefully prepare response plans for different scenarios.”
“Above all, what matters most is focusing our diplomatic efforts on strengthening and expanding the foundation of trust and cooperation between Korea and the US from a perspective of mutual benefit,” Lee said.
“We must pool our wisdom to firmly protect our national interests and our companies’ investments, while ensuring that agreements reached by the two countries in the diplomatic and security fields are properly implemented.”
Lee also stressed the need to broaden South Korea’s diplomatic outreach beyond the White House.
“To this end, we must continue close cooperation with the US administration while building a foundation for bipartisan cooperation in Congress and broadening communication with state governments and the business community,” he said.
His remarks came as Democrats’ sweeping victories in the Nov. 3 midterm elections raised fresh uncertainty over the implementation of a wide-ranging agreement reached between Seoul and Washington in November 2025.
The Joint Fact Sheet lays out Korea’s $350 billion investment pledge and tariff reductions alongside Washington’s approval for Seoul to build nuclear-powered submarines and support for a process that could allow civilian uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing.
But negotiations over nuclear cooperation have effectively stalled since the allies held their first round of talks in June. The Democratic takeover of both chambers of Congress has raised further concerns in Seoul about the prospects for those agreements, particularly given the party’s traditional emphasis on nuclear nonproliferation.
The election results have also reshaped the political landscape in several states that are major destinations for South Korean investment, including Texas and Georgia, drawing attention to how those changes could affect Seoul’s investment plans.
In Texas, South Korea’s first project under its US investment pledge — a $22.3 billion gas-fired power plant intended to supply electricity to AI data centers — has come under scrutiny following the election of Democratic Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who has pledged tighter regulations on new data center development.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Lee said, “We must make every effort to minimize the negative impact that external uncertainty could have on the domestic and global economies.”
Lee also called for closer monitoring of economic conditions in the US and globally, urging officials to strengthen financial market surveillance and establish a rapid-response system to prevent market turbulence.
“To avoid being swayed by external pressures, it is also essential to strengthen our (economic) fundamentals,” he said.
Lee further emphasized the need to sharpen the competitiveness of key strategic industries, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence, while maintaining momentum in fostering new growth industries.
“As uncertainty in international affairs grows, it becomes increasingly important to strike a balance between consistent principles and flexible responses,” Lee said.
“The government will not overreact to every change but will instead devote all its efforts to pragmatic diplomacy guided by the national interest and to governance that puts people’s livelihoods first,” he added.