Park Yoon-joo, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated on September 17 that "President Donald Trump has a strong commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula." He also clarified that no decision has been made regarding the deployment to Hormuz.
During a meeting of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Park expressed, "I do not believe President Trump's commitment has reached the stage of recognizing North Korea's nuclear possession."
Regarding the Hormuz deployment, he noted, "No specific issues have been decided. The safety of the Hormuz Strait is closely linked to supply chains. We need to consider how we can contribute from the perspective of national interest." He added, "The Hormuz issue involves consultations between South Korea and the U.S., but it is also a multilateral issue involving countries like the UK and France."
Park addressed concerns that President Trump is strongly pressuring allies for deployment to Hormuz, stating, "Whatever conclusion is reached, it will be a decision made independently by the government based on national interest."
Meanwhile, both Park and Second Vice Minister Kim Jin-ah attended the committee meeting, while Foreign Minister Park Jin was absent due to a scheduled meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This absence drew some criticism from committee members.
Before departing for the meeting, Minister Park told reporters at Incheon International Airport, "If a breakthrough is achieved in North Korea-U.S. relations, it would be welcomed by our government," reiterating that no position has been established regarding the Hormuz deployment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.