[Anchor]

The presidential office stated, "Nothing has been decided yet." Amid persistent pressure from U.S. President Trump for troop deployment, the government appears to be holding deployment as a "turning point card" to resolve pending issues between South Korea and the U.S. Voices of opposition immediately erupted from the pan-ruling bloc.

This is reported by Kim Hye-young.

[Reporter]

A high-ranking official at the presidential office said today (September 4) that "substantial contributions in the Strait of Hormuz include military contributions," adding that the government has room to maneuver within a range that does not cause significant damage to the readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula.

This implies that the possibility of troop deployment remains open.

However, the official emphasized that "nothing has been decided yet" and that they are currently in the stage of reviewing various options such as combat, non-combat, and search operations.

The official also noted that the process has not yet reached the stage of preparing a consent motion to be submitted to the National Assembly.

With U.S. President Trump recently expressing complaints toward South Korea one after another,

[Trump / U.S. President (local time, August 17): When I said, 'Will you help us a little? We don't need help with the Iran issue, but if you want, help us out a bit,' (President Lee Jae-myung) said, 'I will decline,' and refused.]

as a deadlock continues without yielding answers on major pending issues between South Korea and the U.S., such as investment in the U.S. and security consultations, some analyses inside and outside the government suggest that the "Hormuz deployment card" could turn the tables on South Korea-U.S. relations.

President Trump has demanded Hormuz support from various allies, but many countries remain cautious about military participation. South Korea's preemptive participation could be utilized as a political achievement from President Trump's perspective, which in turn could create a favorable environment for South Korea.

The problem is the turbulent domestic political landscape.

Back in 2004, when the Roh Moo-hyun administration dispatched the Zaytun Unit to Iraq at the request of the U.S., fierce debates for and against the deployment erupted within the then-ruling party and progressive circles.

Today, voices of opposition have already broken out from within parts of the pan-ruling bloc.

Representative Lee Ki-heon, a former presidential secretary under the Moon Jae-in administration, stated, "Even if it is non-combatant force, its essence is clearly 'participation in war,'" adding, "If a request for consent to dispatch troops comes to the National Assembly, I will not agree." Cho Innovation Party floor leader Kim Jun-hyung stated, "Troop deployment is a line that must never be crossed."

The government is in deep deliberation over whether to endure public controversy and political burdens to find a breakthrough in South Korea-U.S. relations.

(Video by Jeong Sang-bo | Video Editing by Choi Jin-hwa | Graphics by Lee Jong-jeong)