Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi at the latter's request to discuss the situation in the Middle East, bilateral relations and the protection of South Korean nationals, according to the Ministry of Foreign Ministry here.
The government has yet to decide whether to deploy military assets after a fact-finding team returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this week.
Cho told Araghchi that South Korea maintains the position that "free and safe passage must be guaranteed for all vessels including ours in the Strait of Hormuz" and has continued to participate in international efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in the waterway.
Their talks came days after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei warned in Korean that Seoul's military participation in the Gulf could have "serious consequences," saying foreign military involvement could be viewed as direct support for U.S. actions against Iran.
It also came just a day after South Korean inspectors from the Defense Ministry returned from the UAE, where they assessed security conditions and possible operating environments. They are expected to brief the National Security Council on their findings soon.
Cheong Wa Dae stressed that no decision has been made on a possible deployment and said technical assistance could also be considered as an alternative to sending troops.
Public opinion is leaning against deployment. A National Barometer Survey released on Thursday showed 45 percent of respondents opposed sending maritime patrol aircraft or a logistics support ship to the Strait of Hormuz, compared with 36 percent who supported the move. Opposition rose to 55 percent among supporters of the ruling Democratic Party (DP).
Rep. Jin Seong-joon of the DP, chairman of the National Assembly's defense committee, pushed back against reports that the Defense Ministry had sought to persuade ruling-party lawmakers of the need for a deployment.
"The Defense Ministry has never tried to persuade me of the need to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz," Jin wrote on Facebook, disputing suggestions that the ministry was lobbying lawmakers to build support for the move.
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