Seoul, Sep 19 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s office on Saturday said that his remarks ruling out troop dispatches that could involve the country in a war were not a refusal of US President Donald Trump’s request for Seoul to send forces to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The presidential office clarified the position after the New York Times reported that Lee’s comments at a press conference Friday amounted to a rejection of Trump’s appeal for Seoul’s military cooperation in the Middle East, Yonhap news agency reports.
“Lee did not turn down Trump’s request for South Korea’s cooperation on Middle East-related issues during yesterday’s press conference,” a presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
“The government has been reviewing practical ways to contribute in close communication with the international community, including the United States, in order to protect our citizens and safeguard national interests.”
Seoul will continue to examine concrete options under its stated principle of not intervening in a war or combat, the official added.
On Friday, Lee said during the nationally televised press conference that “there will be no dispatch of troops that engages or intervenes in a war,” while noting that the Cheonghae Unit has already been deployed to the region to counter piracy and other threats to the safety of the Korean people, and that Seoul is reviewing ways to strengthen that role.
“Let it be clear. There will be no dispatch of troops that will lead to involvement in a conflict. There will be no engagement or involvement in war,” Lee said in a televised press conference.
“The principle of no engagement or involvement in war has been observed so far and will continue to be observed in the future,” he asserted.
The president’s remarks came as Seoul is deliberating over making what it calls “contributions” to ensuring freedom of navigation along the key transit route in the face of mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump.
–IANS
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