South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-back Visits US, Discusses Strait of Hormuz Issue, Willing to Contribute in Phases

US-Iran War Key News

(Central News Agency reporter Yang Chi-fang, Seoul, 13th) South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-back visited the United States and met with U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth. Regarding the future restoration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Korean side expressed to the U.S. that as a member of the international community, South Korea is willing to participate and will study making contributions in phases.

Yonhap News Agency reported today that during his meeting with Hegseth, Ahn Kyu-back stated regarding the future restoration of the Strait of Hormuz, "Basically, we expressed that as a responsible member of the international community, South Korea is willing to participate and will study making contributions in phases, to that extent."

Ahn Kyu-back pointed out that the so-called "phased contribution" includes expressing support, dispatching personnel, sharing intelligence, and providing military asset support. "We will comprehensively consider various factors based on international and domestic legal procedures, and stated that we will review relevant contribution plans in phases in the future."

Additionally, the Blue House has strongly condemned the incident after confirming that the fire on the South Korean vessel NAMU in the Strait of Hormuz was due to an external attack. Regarding this, Ahn Kyu-back stated, "Indeed, we had many discussions with the U.S. side regarding the NAMU incident." The South Korean government is currently conducting a joint investigation, and the South Korean military may also provide technical analysis and consultation to the U.S. if necessary.

As for the transfer of conditional wartime operational control (OPCON), Ahn Kyu-back noted that Hegseth also expressed consensus on the direction of completing the transfer as soon as possible. He said, "I explained that to achieve a Korean-led defense of the Korean Peninsula, we will increase the defense budget and secure core military capabilities." (Edited by Chen Hui-ping) 1150513