South Korea Refuses to Send Troops to US Iran War — SkimNews
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- Lee Jae Myung said at a Friday news conference that South Korea "won't deploy military assets in any form" to support the US war in Iran, explicitly ruling out any deployment that would draw his country into conflict.
- Lee added that South Korea is reviewing a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining its existing anti-piracy naval presence off Somalia to protect crude shipments.
- Trump criticized Seoul for insufficient support and scaled back major joint military drills with South Korea this summer, a move that unsettled the US ally.
- South Korea's $350 billion US manufacturing investment commitment under last year's trade deal remains the main sticking point, with Lee citing concerns over commercial viability even as both sides said they were nearing agreement.
- Seoul postponed a parliamentary briefing on the investment plans to next week.
- Lee said a Trump–Kim Jong-un meeting is possible in coming months but "many factors needed to align," while North Korean state media has remained largely silent on Trump's repeated outreach.
Why it matters: South Korea's public refusal puts Lee at odds with Trump over military support while the $350 billion trade-deal investment stalls on commercial viability concerns, and Trump's decision to scale back joint drills this summer shows the alliance is already fraying — making Seoul one of the first US allies to openly break with Washington on Iran.
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