South Korea to widen anti-piracy patrols toward Hormuz

South Korea will ask parliament to extend the Cheonghae unit's mandate and expand its patrol area from the Gulf of Aden to waters near Duqm in Oman, about 650km from the Strait of Hormuz. The move follows US pressure over the war on Iran. Seoul says the mission stays noncombat and under South Korean command, but opposition lawmakers warn it risks drawing the country into the conflict.