[Anchor]
Reports have emerged that a high-ranking Iranian official warned that if South Korea dispatches its military to the Strait of Hormuz, it will be considered "participation in the war." This has further complicated the calculations of the South Korean government, which is closely monitoring both domestic and international public opinion regarding the troop deployment. Attention is also focused on whether this issue will be discussed during the summit between President Lee Jae-myung and French President Emmanuel Macron.
For the first piece of news, reporter Kang Min-u has the details.
[Reporter]
Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Hezbollah media outlet in Lebanon, reported on the 4th local time that a high-ranking Iranian official warned, "If South Korea takes actions against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, we will consider it a direct military aggression against Iran and participation in the war."
Iran's Fars News Agency also picked up and reported on the statement from this outlet.
In response to these reports, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We are in close communication with the international community, including relevant countries, for the prompt restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."
In particular, as President Lee Jae-myung departed today (the 6th) for a state visit to France and is scheduled to hold a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron the day after tomorrow, a Cheong Wa Dae official expects that related discussions will take place between the two leaders.
President Macron previously chaired the "European-led Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz" initiative meeting back in April, which President Lee also attended via video link.
However, participating in an international coalition is a completely different matter from responding to a troop deployment requested by the United States, meaning the government is expected to continue its deep deliberations while taking domestic public opinion into account.
In the political arena, while the Democratic Party has not yet released an official party stance and some lawmakers have individually expressed opposition, the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party, and the Justice Party have strongly urged opposition to the deployment.
The People Power Party criticized that the government has been caught in a "sandwich" squeeze while delaying decisions out of hesitation, yet it has not issued an explicit call for deployment—a move interpreted as an intention to monitor public sentiment first.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video filming: Yoon Hyeong, Yang Ji-hoon | Video editing: Park Seon-su | Design: Park Tae-young)
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