[South Korea expands the operational scope of the Cheonghae Force to near the Strait of Hormuz] November 5th, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense stated on the 5th local time that it will expand the operational scope of the Cheonghae Force, which performs escort missions in the Gulf of Aden, to southern Oman, closer to the Strait of Hormuz, and will also deploy additional maritime patrol aircraft, explosive ordnance disposal teams, unmanned mine clearance and other equipment. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense stated that it will submit a revised motion to extend the deployment period of the Cheonghae Force to Congress, including expanding the mission execution area of ​​the Cheonghae Force and adding additional assets. The motion has passed the meeting of the Undersecretary of State and is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly next week after being reviewed by the State Council and approved by the President to start the review process. It is reported that the core content of this revision is to expand the mission scope to the southern seas of Oman, extending as far as the waters south of Duqm Port in Oman. The straight-line distance between the Port of Duqm and the Strait of Hormuz is approximately 350 nautical miles (approximately 650 kilometers). The South Korean government stated that the expansion of the mission scope of the Cheonghae Force and the deployment of additional equipment are mainly to cope with the deployment gap of international maritime forces caused by conflicts in the Red Sea region and the resulting increase in piracy activities. (CCTV News)