CHURCH 26/09/14 Korean Church opposes planned troop deployment to Strait of Hormuz

[성기화 요셉]

Bishops reiterate Church's repeated appeals to avoid war and pursue ceasefire, dialogue

In this picture, obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, vessels are pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: September 15, 2026 11:49 AM GMT

Updated: September 15, 2026 11:59 AM GMT

South Korea’s Catholic bishops have opposed a reported government plan to deploy troops and military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, saying the government should exhaust diplomatic options before taking any military step in the volatile Middle East region.

The Justice and Peace Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea made the appeal in a Sept. 14 statement.

It came amid public discussion over South Korea’s possible role in protecting vessels passing through one of the world’s most sensitive sea lanes.

“We cannot agree to the government and the National Assembly pushing for the deployment to the Strait of Hormuz,” said the statement signed by the committee’s chairman, Bishop Kim Ju-young.

The bishops said they recognized the state’s responsibility to protect South Korean citizens, including seafarers and crews on commercial vessels, and to contribute to international peace and the common good.

But they warned that protecting citizens should not automatically lead to the use of military force, especially when such action could deepen tensions or draw the country closer to armed conflict.

The committee said Catholic teaching allows the use of military force only under strict moral conditions.

It cited principles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church requiring that all peaceful means be shown to be ineffective, that the damage caused by force not be greater than the evil it seeks to remove, and that there be a serious prospect of success.

The bishops recalled that the Church has repeatedly appealed to governments to avoid war and pursue ceasefires, dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations, saying the approach is particularly urgent in the Middle East, where continuing conflicts have caused civilian casualties, displacement and further instability across the region.

The committee asked whether the government had fully reviewed alternatives such as diplomatic protection, cooperation with international organizations, maritime safety support and humanitarian engagement before considering a military dispatch.

Even if the mission is described as non-combat or limited to supporting navigation safety, the committee said, sending troops and military assets to a conflict zone “is by no means a light decision.”

“The means to achieve peace must be as peaceful as the end, and a good end does not justify all military means,” the statement said.

The committee added that peace cannot be built by decisions that increase fear, suspicion or confrontation among nations already affected by conflict.

The bishops urged the government and the National Assembly to make ceasefire efforts, dialogue among parties, mediation through international organizations, and diplomatic solutions the center of South Korea’s response.

The statement also urged South Korea to expand humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding efforts and pay attention to refugees, displaced families, victims of violence, and communities whose lives have been disrupted by war.

The committee said South Korea should "take one step further toward stopping war” rather than moving closer to it.

The bishops said the country’s constitution, which commits South Korea to maintaining international peace, is consistent with the Christian message that peace must be pursued through dialogue, restraint and solidarity.