Seoul, September 04 (QNA) - South Korea's presidential office announced today that the government has not made a final decision on deploying military forces to the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that a review of the available options remains underway.

Yonhap News Agency quoted a presidential official as saying that South Korea could potentially make military contributions to international efforts aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation through the strait, provided such contributions did not affect its defense readiness, should a decision be made to participate.

The official added that any potential contribution would take into account the readiness of South Korean forces on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures, noting that discussions had not yet reached the stage of seeking approval from the National Assembly (parliament).

US President Donald Trump has recently stepped up pressure on Seoul to make military contributions to the vital waterway, repeatedly accusing the ally of rejecting his request.

The official, who requested anonymity, said that in order to make tangible contributions in the Strait of Hormuz, the matter would first have to be considered in light of South Korea’s readiness on the Korean Peninsula as well as its domestic legal procedures.

The official said the government was considering whether contributions could be made within a scope that would not undermine the country’s readiness posture. He added that the ongoing discussions had not yet reached the stage of seeking parliamentary approval and that no final decision had been made.

The official denied speculation that the issue of deploying the fleet to the Strait of Hormuz had impeded ongoing negotiations between Seoul and Washington on advancing their economic and defense agreement reached last year as part of a broader tariff agreement.

However, the presidential official acknowledged that the bilateral negotiations were not progressing smoothly and that semiconductor-related issues were also being discussed as part of the negotiations. (QNA)