Blue House: "No Decision Made on Troop Deployment to Strait of Hormuz... Considering with Caution"

On September 9, the Blue House stated regarding the issue of deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, "The government's final policy decision has not yet been made," adding, "As discussions at a working-level stage have been leaked, the discussion is moving ahead of itself."

Sung Ki-hong, Chief of Public Relations and Communications at the Blue House, appeared on the YouTube channel 'Maebul Show' the same day, explaining, "The government has not reached a final policy decision on the matter and is making a careful assessment."

Sung Ki-hong, Chief of Public Relations and Communications, is giving a briefing on the appointment of the new Minister for Government Policy Coordination at the Blue House press conference room on the 10th. President Lee Jae-myung appointed Im Gi-geun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, as the Minister for Government Policy Coordination. July 10, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Chief Sung explained, "Because this is a very important matter, the president must be the ultimate decision-maker," and added, "There are likely to be a range of opinions and positions, including within the National Security Council (NSC), but ultimately, these will be consolidated into a single unified position."

Regarding the discussion on the Strait of Hormuz held at the summit between President Lee Jae-myung and French President Emmanuel Macron the previous day, he cautioned against overinterpretation, saying, "It should not be equated directly with the term 'troop deployment.'" The two leaders announced a shared commitment to cooperate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Chief Sung emphasized, "When the war broke out in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz was blockaded, oil prices spiked and the economy suffered a blow," adding, "Concerns that normalization of the Strait of Hormuz is necessary to protect national interests have been raised ever since then."

When asked whether the issue of investment in the United States was linked to the troop deployment, Chief Sung dismissed the idea, saying, "No." He added, "The proposal to discuss these issues together with various nations working to restore the overall international order has also been made to the Korean government," and commented, "Ultimately, whatever decision is made will depend on the autonomous judgment of the Republic of Korea government."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.