South Korea’s Blue House on Trump’s call to dispatch warships: “Will review carefully before deciding”

South Korea’s Blue House said on the 15th that it would “communicate closely with the United States and make a decision after careful review” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

A Blue House official said the same day, “We are paying attention to President Trump’s remarks on social media (SNS),” as the office set out its position.

The official said, “The safety of international sea lanes and freedom of navigation serve the interests of all countries and are protected under international law,” adding, “Based on this, we hope the global maritime logistics network can return to normal as soon as possible.” The official added, “The government is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East and the moves of the countries concerned, and is comprehensively considering and exploring multiple options to protect our citizens and ensure the safety of energy shipping routes.”

Earlier, on the 14th (local time), President Trump effectively called on five countries, including South Korea, China and Japan, to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said, “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries that are affected by artificial restrictions (a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz) will send ships here as well.”

However, the United States is said not to have made an official request for troop deployment yet. The government’s position is that it will conduct an in-depth review if an official request is made by the U.S. side.