Seoul, Mar 21 (UNI) South Korea, a close US ally, on Saturday expressed its willing to participate in international efforts to ensure safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, its foreign ministry said.
Seoul joined seven countries, including the UK and Japan, in issuing a statement condemning Iran’s attacks in the Gulf that have disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement on Saturday, Seoul’s foreign ministry said it would work with the international community to help restore normal oil flows through the strategic waterway.
Disruption at the strait is directly hitting South Korea’s energy supply and economy, the ministry said, with the country capping fuel prices and shifting toward coal and nuclear power in response.
“Participation in the joint statement is significant in confirming our willingness to contribute to the efforts of the international community to ensure safe and free passage in the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry said Saturday in a statement.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan had released a joint statement on the strait, condemning Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
They added that they are ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait.”
Bahrain and Canada also expressed willingness to join the group.
While US President Donald Trump has urged countries, including South Korea, to take part in efforts to reopen the strait, some nations such as France have indicated they would step in only after tensions ease. South Korea, however, has not committed to deploying ships to the area.
Trump had called on allies to send warships and minesweepers to help secure the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to calm global oil markets, but none have made firm commitments yet. He later lashed out at NATO allies for not helping the US and called them “cowards” for not helping secure the strait.
