Ministry of National Defense sends a local inspection team to the UAE... says it is not premised on troop deployment

The Ministry of National Defense has sent a local inspection team to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assess the situation in the Middle East. The inspection team is reportedly tasked with checking the security situation and operational conditions around the Strait of Hormuz. The Ministry of National Defense explained that this measure does not assume an actual deployment of troops, and that reports claiming the United States requested the deployment of South Korean forces with a deadline are also untrue. At present, its position is that no decision has been made regarding a deployment. However, inside and outside the government, there is also a view that sending this inspection team is a form of advance preparation with possible future deployment in mind. Possibilities being raised include reviewing military bases and ports of call that could be used locally, as well as how troops would actually be committed. The government is expected to carefully judge the timing of any decision while taking various variables into account.