South Korea weighs extending Cheonghae unit mission toward Gulf of Oman

South Korea is preparing to extend the Cheonghae unit’s deployment, which is due to end at the end of this year.

The naval unit operates near Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, where the government says pirate activity has risen and security has worsened.

Officials are considering widening operations toward the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, and adding a maritime patrol aircraft.

The government says no details have been decided and has ruled out sending the unit to the Strait of Hormuz itself.

President Lee Jae-myung has said South Korea would not send troops to take part in or intervene in a war, while a stronger role for the unit is under consideration.

The government is preparing an extension proposal for approval before the current deployment authorization expires.

The decision matters because the mission could expand without a Hormuz deployment, but the final scope remains unsettled.