South Korea and America are communicating about a request to send a warship to the Strait of Hormuz

A senior presidential official said Monday that South Korea and the United States are communicating about Washington’s request from Seoul to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Lee Kyu-yeon, Presidential Secretary for Public Affairs and Communications, made these statements after US President Donald Trump appealed to South Korea and four other countries in a post on social media to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz to confront Iran’s attempt to close the waterway.

Without clarifying the main communication channels, Lee added, “This is an issue that must be decided after sufficient consultations between South Korea and the United States, and I am aware that the two sides are in close communication.”

When asked whether Washington had made an official request, Lee said that the presidential office was trying to determine the “true intentions” behind Trump’s statements, and that it needed to confirm the official US government position before making a decision.