Article by Viory
A group of protesters staged a rally at the fountain plaza in front of Cheongwadae Sarangchae in central Seoul to oppose calls for allied military deployments to the Middle East amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
Footage shows participants holding banners and chanting anti-war slogans, urging the government to pursue diplomatic solutions and avoid involvement in escalating regional conflicts.
The demonstration followed remarks by Donald Trump, who publicly called on South Korea and several other countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz as part of a US-led effort to secure the vital Gulf shipping route.
“The war being waged by the United States and Israel is an imperialist and colonial war of aggression,” said protester Jung Hoon Lee. “If South Korea sends troops, it will only prolong the conflict, increase the suffering, and help justify further massacres.”
“When I first heard that Trump asked other countries to send troops, I thought he was crazy,” another protester added, accusing Trump of ‘starting wars’ and then ‘shifting the responsibility’ onto other countries.
The strategic waterway, which normally carries around 20 percent of global oil shipments, has been severely disrupted amid the conflict, contributing to surging energy prices and raising fears of economic fallout.
Trump’s request has placed Seoul in a difficult position, balancing its alliance with the United States and its reliance on Middle Eastern energy supplies against the risk of being drawn deeper into the conflict.
One possible option for deployment could involve the Republic of Korea Navy’s Cheonghae Unit, an anti-piracy force that conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden.
In 2020, following the Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general who played a central role in the country’s regional security strategy, South Korea expanded the Cheonghae Unit’s mission to include operations near the Strait of Hormuz.
The current escalation began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. Tehran later responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli territory and US military assets across the region, with explosions reported in several Gulf countries.
Article by Viory
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