South Korea’s leader just drew a sharp line on Iran: Seoul won’t be sending boots, planes, or ships into the US-led conflict. “There will be no deployment of troops or dispatch of military assets to be involved in or intervene in this war,” President Lee Jae Myung said at a Friday news conference. He ruled out taking part in the war despite President Trump’s public prodding and reminders of the American military presence in South Korea, the New York Times reports. Last month, Trump scaled back joint military exercises, arguing that they sent the wrong message to “unthreatening and respectful” North Korea.
Seoul is instead weighing a limited move: widening the patrol area of a South Korean destroyer now on anti-piracy duty near Somalia, potentially bringing it closer to the Red Sea or Strait of Hormuz, but only to shield South Korean commercial ships, Lee stressed. He said it is “clear that we must do the minimum as other countries do to protect our commercial shipping and crude shipments, and also the safety of our people,” reports Reuters.
The decision comes as Lee’s approval rating sinks to a new low of 37% amid a sagging stock market, housing woes, and stalled talks over a major trade-and-investment deal with Washington. Domestic critics accuse him of angling to change the country’s constitution so he can seek a second term. Polls show a majority of South Koreans oppose joining the Iran war, and Lee signaled he is listening: “We should not buckle under pressure or coercion,” he said. The Times notes that after then-President Roh Moo-hyun sent forces to Iraq in 2003, his approval ratings took a permanent hit.