Seoul's Hormuz dilemma

Korea is facing repeated calls from the U.S. to send warships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open and safe for cargo ships. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged all nations affected by Iran’s blockade of the strait to join U.S. efforts to reopen it. “All nations of the world depend on products that come from the Strait of Hormuz. China is at the top of that list. Japan, Korea and all the Asian nations rely on the energy that flows out of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said Sunday on the ABC News program “This Week.” Therefore, Wright said, it is logical to build a broad coalition of nations to reopen the strait. His remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump tried to rally support from allies and other affected countries to send warships to the area. “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,” he wrote. No official U.S. request has been received in Korea so far. Kor