South Korea Plans to Expand Anti-Piracy Unit Toward the Strait of Hormuz
South Korea plans to expand the operations of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit to waters closer to the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
The government is to submit a motion to parliament to extend the unit's area of operation to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman. A motion is a formal proposal put before the national legislature. Duqm is about 650 kilometres (403 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea passage through which much Gulf oil is shipped, according to The Guardian. The motion also needs approval from President Lee Jae Myung and the cabinet, the group of senior ministers who run the government.
The Cheonghae unit has been stationed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009, where it helps commercial vessels navigate safely. Its current deployment in the Middle East is set to expire at the end of 2026, and the motion seeks to extend it. The unit now includes a 4,400-ton-class destroyer, a maritime operations helicopter, up to three rigid-hull inflatable boats and about 300 service members.
Under the plan, South Korea would deploy a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and add 75 personnel to the unit. In early September, options under consideration for a role near Hormuz had included a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel, and mine detection and clearance assets. In mid-October, Reuters reported that the government was weighing an expansion of the unit's operational area to include the Gulf of Oman.
The reason for the move lies largely in energy. South Korea sourced 70% of its oil supplies from the Middle East in 2025, most of it delivered through the Strait of Hormuz.
The plan includes limits. Unit operations would remain restricted to open waters south of Oman. The patrol aircraft would be prohibited from targeting or monitoring Iranian territory, Iranian territorial waters, or the interior of the Strait of Hormuz.
South Korea's defence ministry said the reinforced Cheonghae unit is strictly for non-combat purposes and will operate independently of allied forces.
