South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Friday that his country would not deploy troops to the Middle East, rejecting President Donald Trump’s call for Seoul to support an American war effort against Iran. Lee said, “There won’t be deployment that would involve or enter war. We won’t deploy military assets in any form to that end,” making it clear the nation would avoid direct military involvement.
Lee added that Seoul was evaluating a limited role in safeguarding maritime traffic in the region. The country already maintains a naval presence off Somalia as part of an anti‑piracy mission and has considered a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, though the idea has faced domestic opposition. He emphasized the need to protect commercial shipping, crude shipments, and the safety of South Korean nationals.
The announcement comes amid growing tension with Washington, which has criticized Seoul for what it calls insufficient support for the Iran campaign and has scaled back joint military drills this summer. South Korea is also revisiting a trade‑investment agreement that would see $350 billion invested in U.S. manufacturing in exchange for tariff reductions. While the president noted commercial viability as a sticking point, he said the two sides were close to an agreement and that a parliamentary briefing on the investment plans had been postponed.
Lee also mentioned the possibility of a meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un in the coming months. He said that while many factors must align, both leaders expressed a desire for dialogue and that coordination to enable such talks was ongoing. North Korean state media has yet to comment on Trump’s repeated requests for a meeting, though the White House has pushed for a summit as early as the autumn.
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