South Korea plans to expand an anti-piracy naval mission toward waters south of Oman and add personnel, aircraft and mine-clearance equipment, government and local reports said Thursday.
The proposal would extend the Cheonghae Unit’s operating area from the Gulf of Aden to waters near the southern end of Oman’s Duqm port, about 650 kilometers, or 403 miles, from the Strait of Hormuz.
The revised deployment motion is expected to go to South Korea’s National Assembly for approval. The unit’s current authorization expires at the end of 2026.
The plan would add 75 personnel, increasing the contingent to as many as 395 people. Yonhap News Agency reported that the reinforcements would include 45 personnel supporting a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and 30 assigned to an explosive-ordnance-disposal team and its command structure.
South Korea also plans to send unmanned mine-countermeasure equipment. The existing unit includes a 4,400-ton destroyer and a maritime helicopter and has operated off Somalia since 2009 to protect commercial shipping from piracy.
Defense officials described the expanded mission as noncombat and focused on protecting South Korean citizens, vessels and economic interests. They said the unit would remain under South Korean command and operate outside the Strait of Hormuz.
The plan is significant because South Korea depends heavily on energy shipments moving through the Middle East. Reuters reported that about 70% of the country’s oil imports came from the region in 2025, with most passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The change also comes as the United States has pressed allies to do more to protect shipping during the conflict with Iran. South Korean officials have maintained that the mission’s expansion is intended to safeguard navigation rather than deploy the country into combat.
The proposal still requires political approval, and its final terms could change. If approved, it would move South Korean surveillance and mine-clearance capacity closer to one of the world’s most important energy routes while leaving the contingent outside the strait itself.
Sources: - Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-expand-anti-piracy-unit-operations-closer-strait-hormuz-2026-11-05/ - Yonhap News Agency: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261105000751315?section=national%2Fdiplomacy - KBS World: https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?Seq_Code=205360&lang=e