Protests erupted in Seoul this week against a government proposal to send South Korean forces to support US operations in the Strait of Hormuz a key waterway for global oil shipments.
Seoul said on Friday it was weighing "contributions" to US security efforts in the strait and sent a fact-finding mission there on Tuesday. Iran has warned that any South Korean deployment would be treated as "direct support" for what it calls a war of aggression, adding it would carry "serious consequences."
Demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Seoul on Wednesday with holding placards opposing the move. Police were seen pushing back protesters, according to footage shared on social media.
Jung Kyung-jik of the civic group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said troop deployment would amount to joining an unlawful war also citing alleged US strikes on civilian infrastructure in Iran.
South Korea has faced growing pressure from Washington with President Donald Trump previously criticizing Seoul for not backing US action against Iran. The country depends heavily on the Strait of Hormuz carried 61% of its crude oil imports and 54% of its naphtha imports last year.
Options reportedly under review include deploying a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft, a naval logistics ship and a navy bomb disposal team. Any deployment would require approval from South Korea's National Security Council, cabinet and National Assembly.
South Korea previously expanded a naval unit's role near Hormuz in 2019 under similar US pressure. President Lee Jae Myung discussed the strait with French President Emmanuel Macron this week though officials said the talks focused on broader security cooperation not troop deployment.
