The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) said it opposes the deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, which would send Korean troops to a Middle East war not directly related to the defense of the Korean Peninsula.
CCEJ said in a statement on the 16th, "We urge the government to firmly reject (the United States') request," and stated accordingly. U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed to form a multinational coalition to escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz and asked seven countries, including Korea, to join.
CCEJ said, "The purpose of the South Korea–U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty is the peace of the Korean Peninsula and the defense of the Republic of Korea," adding, "The reason for maintaining the South Korea–U.S. alliance is also to defend the territory of the Korean Peninsula and protect the safety of the people." It added, "An alliance is a means to that end and cannot be an end in itself."
Although the government said it has not decided whether to deploy troops, CCEJ also said regarding discussion of expanding the operational scope of the Cheonghae Unit, dispatched to the Gulf of Aden area, to the Strait of Hormuz, "In that it could effectively lead to new military involvement, this is a matter that requires reconfirming the constitutional purpose of troop deployments and the National Assembly's consent procedure."
CCEJ said, "The government must judge coolly," adding, "Korea must prevent becoming militarily entangled in a war not directly related to the defense of the Korean Peninsula, and must firmly refuse deployment requests that go beyond the bounds of the alliance."
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, a key chokepoint through which oil from Middle Eastern producers flows to the world. After U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sealed off the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting oil supply chains.