South Korea faces growing pressure to contribute naval forces to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump called on major oil-importing countries to help keep the vital energy corridor open, placing Seoul at the center of a widening geopolitical test.

The request comes at a sensitive moment for South Korea, whose economy remains heavily dependent on Middle Eastern crude oil that passes through the strait, while its alliance with Washington is undergoing what both governments describe as a “modernization” phase that calls for greater security burden-sharing.

Regarding the matter, a South Korean presidential official said Sunday the government is closely monitoring Trump’s remarks on social media and will carefully review the matter in close coordination with Washington.

“We are paying close attention to President Trump’s social media comments and will continue to communicate closely with the US while carefully reviewing the situation before making a judgment,” the Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity.

“The safety of international sea lanes and the freedom of navigation serve the interests of all countries and are protected under international law. Based on this principle, we hope that global maritime logistics networks will be restored to normal as soon as possible,” the official added.

The official also said the Seoul government is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East and the responses of related countries while considering various measures to protect South Koreans and ensure the safety of energy transportation routes.

Seoul officials said that the government has not yet received a formal request from Washington to deploy military forces at this stage.

Trump said Saturday that he hoped South Korea and other countries affected by Iran’s attempt to close the strait would send naval forces to help keep the key oil shipping route “open and safe.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump named South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, China and Japan as countries that should consider dispatching ships to the area, arguing that nations benefiting from energy shipments through the waterway should help secure it.

“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,” Trump wrote.

He claimed the US has already destroyed “100 percent” of Iran’s military capability, but warned that Tehran could still threaten shipping by deploying drones, laying naval mines or firing short-range missiles along the strategic waterway.

“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water,” Trump wrote, adding that Washington would soon make the strait “OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”

The comments came as the US administration stepped up pressure on Iran to abandon any attempt to block the strait, through which moves roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies.

Trump, in a separate post, also suggested that securing the waterway should become a shared international responsibility.

“The countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” he wrote, adding that the United States would help coordinate the effort.

A Seoul-based analyst said Trump’s remarks reflect Washington’s effort to widen the burden of maritime security by drawing in key allies and major energy importers, as the war between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other threatens to disrupt one of the world’s most important energy choke points.

Moon Seong-mook, a security expert and head of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said Trump’s decision to name specific countries, including South Korea and China, likely reflects frustration that much of the international community has remained on the sidelines.

“China relies heavily on oil imported through the Strait of Hormuz, but I believe Beijing is unlikely to deploy forces,” Moon said during his interview with local broadcast YTN.

Shortly after Trump uploaded his remarks, China and the UK issued responses.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington told CNN that China supports an immediate cessation of hostilities and that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply.” The UK’s Defense Ministry said it is currently considering a range of options to safeguard the strategic shipping route.

South Korea, however, faces a more complicated calculation, according to Moon, who cited both economic and alliance factors behind the pressure on Seoul.

“About 70 percent of South Korea’s crude oil imports from the Middle East pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and if the disruption continues for a long period, it could fundamentally shake the Korean economy,” Moon pointed out.

At the same time, Moon said the alliance with Washington remains a key factor in Seoul’s strategic calculus.

“The alliance allows South Korea to rely on US support when it faces security challenges,” he said. “If Washington asks for assistance in a difficult situation, it would be difficult for Seoul to simply refuse.”

Moon said the most realistic option would be expanding the operational scope of the Cheonghae Unit, which is already deployed in the region.

“The most likely scenario would be expanding the operational area of the Cheonghae Unit to include the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Seoul currently maintains the Cheonghae Unit, a naval deployment tasked with anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Established in 2009, the unit conducts escort missions and protects commercial shipping near Somalia. It currently operates near Oman with a 4,400-ton destroyer and about 260 personnel.

South Korea has previously expanded the unit’s operational scope during periods of tension in the region.

In 2020, Seoul temporarily widened the Cheonghae Unit’s mission area to include the Strait of Hormuz, enabling it to conduct independent operations in the waterway amid pressure from Washington to contribute to maritime security efforts in what the US views as global commons in the Middle East.

The Strait of Hormuz is widely considered the most critical choke point in the global energy market. About one-fifth of the world’s petroleum consumption passes through the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, along with roughly 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas trade.

As tensions escalate, concerns about a potential blockade have already rattled oil markets and global shipping routes.