South Korea plans to extend anti-piracy patrols closer to the Strait of Hormuz

South Korea's defence ministry said on Thursday it plans to extend its navy's patrol area from the Gulf of Aden to waters near Oman, citing a rise in piracy off the coast of Somalia. The plan matters because South Korea gets much of its oil from the Middle East, and most of it passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

What the plan involves

The navy's Cheonghae Unit has escorted merchant ships off Somalia since 2009. Under the new plan, it would also patrol near Duqm, a port in Oman about 650 kilometres from the Strait of Hormuz. Patrols would stay outside the strait, and the unit would remain under South Korean command.

The ministry said 36 piracy incidents had been reported off Somalia this year, compared with 11 in all of 2025. It said pirates had moved further towards Oman as international naval forces shifted to the Red Sea and Hormuz.

The navy would send a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, a bomb disposal team and uncrewed craft to clear sea mines. The personnel limit would rise from 320 to 395. The current mandate expires on 31 December.

Approval process

Deputy ministers backed the plan on Thursday, and the cabinet is due to review it next week. If the cabinet and President Lee Jae-myung approve it, the National Assembly will vote on expanding the patrol area and extending the mission until 31 December 2027.

Why Hormuz matters

South Korea sourced about 70% of its oil from the Middle East in 2025, and most of it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to industry ministry figures. US President Donald Trump has criticised Seoul for what he sees as insufficient support for the Iran war. Lee said in September that South Korea had a duty to protect its citizens, merchant ships and oil shipments, but ruled out a deployment that could draw the country into the war.

Seoul has backed a British and French-led plan to protect merchant ships and clear mines in the strait once conditions allow. The ministry said sending mine-clearing equipment to waters off Oman would give South Korean crews experience for a possible future mission. A defence official told Yonhap that Seoul had agreed to take part if asked, once the war ended or Washington and Tehran reached a deal. Any deployment inside the strait would still need parliament's approval.