South Korea moves to stretch its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit's mission towards the Strait of Hormuz

5 November 2026

South Korea plans to widen the area covered by the Cheonghae Unit, its naval anti-piracy force off Somalia.
The revised mandate would extend operations north-east from the Gulf of Aden to waters south of Oman in the Arabian Sea, close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The operating radius would roughly double to about 1,930 km.
A P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team would be added, raising the unit's strength by 75 to 395.
The plan was approved at a vice-ministerial meeting; after Cabinet endorsement next week it goes to the National Assembly, whose consent is required.
The Cheonghae Unit has guarded merchant ships against pirates in the Gulf of Aden since March 2009.