South Korea backs US-North Korea talks, firmly rejects Hormuz deployment

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stood at a crossroads this week, caught between two demands from Washington that pulled in opposite directions. On Friday, he announced that Seoul would actively work to broker talks between the United States and North Korea—a diplomatic mission he framed as both uncertain and worth pursuing. But on the question of military involvement in the Iran conflict, he was unambiguous. South Korea would not send troops to the Strait of Hormuz, he said, repeating the point three times in a single statement to ensure no misunderstanding: "There will be no dispatch of troops that will lead to involvement in a conflict. There will be no engagement or involvement in war."

The diplomatic opening with Pyongyang rests on Trump's stated desire to revive the relationship he cultivated during his first term. Trump has said he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year and has emphasized the importance of maintaining good relations with him. The U.S. president acknowledged that North Korea now possesses 57 nuclear weapons, which he described as "very powerful." South Korean intelligence assessments put the figure higher—between 80 and 120 warheads—suggesting the scale of what any negotiation would need to address. Lee said that while dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remained uncertain, it was far from impossible. Seoul, he indicated, was already engaged in preliminary coordination work behind the scenes to help make such talks happen.

The history of these negotiations casts a long shadow. Inter-Korean relations had reached a peak in 2018, when the peninsula seemed poised for a thaw. But when talks between Kim and Trump collapsed in February 2019, the momentum evaporated. The deterioration has been steep. Last Thursday, a Seoul court ordered North Korea to pay approximately $32.5 million for destroying the Inter-Korean Liaison Office building in 2020—a facility that had been established to improve relations between the two countries. The destruction of that building, ordered by Pyongyang amid rising tensions, became a symbol of how far the relationship had fallen.

North Korea has grown closer to Russia in recent years, securing critical backing from Moscow that has shifted the regional balance. The country has not yet clearly responded to Trump's overtures, leaving the question of whether Pyongyang is interested in renewed dialogue still open.

The refusal to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz, by contrast, reflects domestic pressure that Lee could not ignore. Protests have erupted across South Korea in recent weeks, with citizens opposing any military involvement in the Iran conflict. Lee's government found itself at odds with significant portions of Korean society over the question. His repeated denials of any troop deployment were clearly meant to settle the matter domestically. South Korea will limit its involvement to what Lee called "minimum necessary activities" to protect its own merchant vessels and oil shipping routes—a distinction meant to separate legitimate national interest from participation in a broader conflict.

Meanwhile, Seoul is also working to strengthen its position in the region through other channels. The country held its first-ever presidential summit with five Central Asian states on Wednesday, seeking to deepen economic ties with countries that have aligned themselves with Russia. The move suggests South Korea is trying to maintain relationships across the geopolitical divide, even as it navigates pressure from its closest ally.

Lee's position this week amounts to a careful balancing act: yes to facilitating dialogue with North Korea, no to military involvement in Iran, and continued efforts to build relationships with other regional powers. Whether Trump's planned meeting with Kim Jong Un actually materializes, and whether Seoul's coordination efforts bear fruit, remains to be seen.