foreign ministry-Iran

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday reiterated its principle of "non-involvement" in the war between the United States, Israel and Iran after Tehran called on Seoul to refrain from sending its troops to help reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry urged Korea to avoid getting involved in the war, as Seoul plans to expand the operational scope of its anti-piracy Cheonghae unit off the Somali coast to waters closer to the Hormuz strait, a key energy shipping route effectively blocked amid the Iran war.

"The (Seoul) government is proceeding with a motion to strengthen the mission of the Cheonghae unit under non-involvement, non-intervention principles for protecting our citizens and economic interests," a ministry official said. "Regarding this, we have been communicating with Iran and other relevant countries."

Earlier in the day, the Cabinet approved the motion to expand the Cheonghae unit's operational scope. It will then be sent to the National Assembly for parliamentary consent.

The motion calls for extending the unit's operational area to waters south of Oman in the Arabian Sea and deploying a maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team.

(END)

[Copyright ⓒ K-VIBE. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited.]