SEOUL,— South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday his government will not send military forces to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into war.

He said officials are studying a bigger role in protecting ships that pass through the region.

South Korea already has a naval unit stationed near Somalia as part of an international effort against piracy.

Seoul has so far declined requests from U.S. President Donald Trump for a larger military contribution to Washington’s side in the standoff with Iran.

Lee told reporters his government would not order any deployment that could pull the nation into a war, saying he wanted to make that point clearly.

He added that no military assets would be sent for such a purpose.

Still, Lee said South Korea needs to do the minimum other nations are doing to protect its commercial vessels, oil shipments and citizens abroad.

South Korean officials have been weighing a possible troop or naval deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, though the plan faces strong opposition at home.

Trump has said South Korea has not done enough to support the war effort against Iran.

This summer, he also cut back joint military exercises between the two countries’ armed forces, a decision that worried officials in Seoul.

Separately, Lee met Friday with a senior United Arab Emirates official and called for continued cooperation between Seoul and the Gulf state, his office said, according to The Korea Herald.

Lee received Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, at the presidential office.

He noted that the two sides agreed during his state visit to the UAE last November to build a partnership meant to last the next 100 years, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.

(With files from Reuters, Agencies)

Copyright © 2026 Dubai Diplomacy. All rights reserved.

Your support matters! Consider buying us a coffee — every bit helps keep independent news alive.

Related posts:

South Korea to join UAE Stargate AI data center project UAE, South Korea sign $35 billion defense cooperation MOU South Korea says UAE AI cooperation could accelerate after Iran conflict UAE’s ADNOC signs energy security deal with South Korea Saudi jets target UAE-backed separatists in Yemen’s south Dubai Takes Your Money, Then Your Freedom: British family case Saudi Arabia issues security warning as UAE told to exit Yemen Why the Middle East’s “Islamic NATO” is an Illusion