South Korea’s government has moved ahead with a plan to extend its anti-piracy naval mission to waters south of Oman and add patrol and mine-clearing equipment, but the expansion still needs approval from the National Assembly.
The Cheonghae Unit has operated in the Gulf of Aden since 2009. It escorts commercial vessels. It works to counter piracy.
The proposed change would roughly double the unit’s operating area. That would bring the unit closer to the Strait of Hormuz. The plan would not place its patrol aircraft over Iranian territory or inside the strait.
The proposed additions include a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, a team to dispose of explosives and unmanned equipment to help clear mines. The unit’s maximum personnel count would increase by 75, to 395. Officials have described the mission as non-combat.
They say it is focused on protecting shipping and South Korean interests. They also say the mine-clearing equipment would help prepare for possible future work in the strait. They say it does not signal an immediate deployment there.
The proposal passed a vice-ministerial meeting on Nov. 5. It is expected to go to the Cabinet and receive presidential approval before it is submitted to lawmakers. Any expansion therefore still depends on parliamentary consent.
Any future operation inside the Strait of Hormuz would require a separate decision.