UAE Investigation Team Dispatched, but Government Takes Cautious Stance

[Anchor]

The Ministry of National Defense dispatched an investigation team to the Middle East over the weekend. The ministry drew a line against a broad interpretation, stating that the move is not a precondition for troop deployment but merely to assess the local situation. The government's overall stance regarding deployment also appears more cautious than last week.

Here is a report by reporter Choi Jae-yeong.

[Reporter]

Over the weekend, a South Korean military investigation team was dispatched to the United Arab Emirates.

The mission is to assess the local situation and safety conditions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The investigation team is reportedly scheduled to return as early as this week.

The findings from the investigation team are expected to be reported to the National Security Council (NSC).

However, the Ministry of National Defense drew a line, stating, "This investigation is not premised on actual troop deployment," and adding, "Nothing has been decided regarding deployment."

The ministry also denied media reports claiming that the U.S. Trump administration requested South Korea to deploy troops by November, ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Cheong Wa Dae Senior Secretary for Public Relations Sung Ki-hong stated, "We are at a stage of carefully reviewing various options at the working level, and no final policy has been decided yet."

[Sung Ki-hong / Senior Secretary for Public Relations at Cheong Wa Dae (on YouTube's "Maebul Show")] : "Because this is a very critical matter, isn't the President the ultimate decision-maker? Therefore, everything must be discussed within the NSC...."

Just last week, the government atmosphere was one of concretely reviewing South Korean military forces or assets to send to the Strait of Hormuz, but entering this week, a shift in the atmosphere regarding deployment has been detected.

A key government official conveyed the internal mood of the administration, saying, "The stance has shifted to completely cautious reviews. Even after we sent a message that we were considering deployment, the U.S. has not stopped pressing us. With the U.S. acting like this, our response inevitably has to be complicated."

Another factor deepening the government's concerns is that most nations asked by U.S. President Trump to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz since early this year are still keeping their distance from participating in U.S.-led military operations.

Britain and France are keeping their distance from U.S. military operations, pursuing only independent multinational defensive missions to protect commercial vessels and clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Japan also remains cautious about sending warships or troops.

(Video Editing: Jang Hyun-ki, Design: Park Tae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.