Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
MapSouth Korea Expands Cheonghae Anti-Piracy Unit Toward Strait of Hormuz, Adds 75 Personnel
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Cheonghae unit expands operations from Gulf of Aden to waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Adds P-8A patrol aircraft, EOD team, unmanned mines; 75 more personnel to 395.
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Cheonghae heads toward Hormuz
South Korea decided to expand its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit’s operational area from the Gulf of Aden to waters south of Oman, moving closer to the Strait of Hormuz, and the plan would add 75 personnel to bring the unit’s total to 395. South Korea also planned to deploy a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team as part of the revised mandate, which officials said would roughly double the unit’s operational radius to about 1,930 kilometers.
South Korea framed the reinforcement as strictly non-military in nature, with a Defense Ministry official saying operations would remain “limited to international waters south of Oman,” and the maritime patrol aircraft would be prohibited from attacking or monitoring Iran’s territory, territorial waters, or the interior of the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea said the government would seek parliamentary approval for the revised deployment mandate, with the motion to be presented to the National Assembly after the Cabinet approves it next week.
Piracy surge and U.S. pressure
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the expansion was primarily aimed at responding to increasing piracy off Somalia, where reported incidents “have more than tripled from 11 throughout 2025 to 36 so far this year.” Yonhap said officials attributed the piracy increase partly to multinational naval forces being redirected toward the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing conflicts, leaving fewer resources available for anti-piracy operations.
Korea JoongAng Daily reported that South Korea’s government decided at a vice ministerial meeting to submit a motion to the National Assembly to double the Cheonghae Unit’s maximum operating radius, from 600 nautical miles to 1,200 nautical miles, extending its reach from the Gulf of Aden to the open waters off the port of Duqm in southern Oman. A Defense Ministry official told reporters that “We will absolutely not be involved in or intervene in the war,” while the ministry said the maritime patrol aircraft would be restricted from detecting Iranian territory and territorial waters and the inner side of the Strait of Hormuz.
Mine-clearing readiness, conditional
South Korea said the added EOD capability and unmanned mine-sweeping and mine-tracking systems were intended to prepare for possible postwar joint operations to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with mine clearance expected to be one of the main tasks requiring international coordination once the war ends.
Yonhap said South Korea aligned with Britain and France and other partner countries on the need for a “permissive environment” as a prerequisite for launching any recovery operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Korea Times reported that Rep. Kim Joon-hyung of the Rebuilding Korea Party warned that even if the mission is described as noncombat, “the other side may still view us as an entity to enter the war,” while Rep. Jeon Eun-su of the Democratic Party of Korea said “The operational area of the unit does not even reach the Strait of Hormuz.”
South Korea said any future deployment inside the Strait of Hormuz would require a separate parliamentary approval and safe operating conditions, such as an end to hostilities between the United States and Iran or an agreement allowing safe operations.