Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back (second from left) and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (second from right) on May 11 hold a bilateral summit at the U.S. Department of Defense building in Washington. (Ministry of National Defense)

By Kang Gahui

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back has told his American counterpart that Korea is reviewing a phased approach for contributing to the normalization of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Korean media outlets such as Yonhap News quoted Minister Ahn as saying on May 12 at a news conference at the Korean Embassy in Washington that Korea will "participate as a responsible member of the international community," adding that he informed Washington that Seoul will consider methods for contribution in stages.

The minister mentioned support, personnel deployment, information exchange and provision of military assets as a phased contribution approach.

"We have not discussed in detail our military's expanded participation," he added. "There are also matters that must follow domestic legal procedures."

Earlier, Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul confirmed that an external attack caused the fire on the Korean civilian vessel HMM Namu in the strait, condemning the incident. The presidential office also pledged to keep participating in global efforts to ensure vessel safety and freedom of navigation in the waterway.

On the conditional transfer of wartime operational control from Seoul to Washington, Minister Ahn said U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth expressed agreement.

"I explained our efforts to raise national defense spending and secure core military capabilities to achieve a Korea-led defense of the Korean Peninsula," Minister Ahn said. "We held a candid discussion on major alliance issues such as wartime operational control and our push to build nuclear-powered submarines."

"From our perspective, our commitment to early transfer of wartime operational control is unwavering," he added. "We will continue seeking from the U.S. side understanding and persuasion on necessary matters."

On May 11, he and Secretary Hegseth held talks at the latter's headquarters and released a joint statement, and Minister Ahn later asked acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao in a meeting for active support for Korea's bid to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

kgh89@korea.kr