South Korea plans to extend anti-piracy patrols closer to Strait of Hormuz

South Korea plans to extend its naval patrols from the Gulf of Aden to waters near Oman after a rise in piracy off Somalia's coast, its defence ministry said on Thursday.

The navy’s Cheonghae Unit has escorted merchant ships off Somalia since 2009. Under the plan, it would also patrol near Duqm, a port in Oman about 650 kilometres from the Strait of Hormuz.

The patrols would stay outside the strait, and the unit would remain under South Korean command.

South Korea’s defence ministry said 36 piracy incidents had been reported off Somalia so far this year, up from 11 in all of 2025. It said pirates had ventured further towards Oman as international naval forces shifted to the Red Sea and Hormuz.

The navy would send a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, a bomb disposal team and uncrewed craft to clear sea mines. The plan would raise the personnel limit from 320 to 395.

The navy’s current mandate expires on 31 December. Deputy ministers backed the plan on Thursday and the cabinet is due to review it next week.

If the cabinet and President Lee Jae-myung approve it, the National Assembly will vote on whether to expand the patrol area and extend the mission until 31 December 2027.