The Strait of Hormuz is not a distant geopolitical concern for South Korea. It is a direct artery of national survival — economic, industrial and strategic. Approximately 60 percent of South Korea’s crude oil imports transit this narrow waterway. This is not an abstract vulnerability, it is a structural dependency. Any sustained disruption in Hormuz would immediately impact energy prices, industrial output and ultimately national stability. Despite this reality, South Korea’s posture toward the evolving situation in the Middle East remains cautious, even hesitant. That caution is understandable — but it is no longer sufficient. Iran, particularly through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has not limited itself to rhetoric. It has a documented history of interfering with maritime traffic in the strait. These actions include the seizure of commercial vessels, harassment of tankers and the use of drones and fast attack craft to signal coercive intent. While a full blockade of the strait is widely assessed by military analysts as extremely difficult—bordering on infeasible d