South Korea plans to expand the anti-piracy mission area of its Cheonghae Unit near Somalia to waters near the Strait of Hormuz. South Korean officials revealed that the government will submit a bill to the National Assembly to extend the authorization for the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit in the Middle East. According to Yonhap News Agency, the proposed expansion will extend its operational area from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea south of the Gulf of Oman, roughly doubling its operational radius to about 1,930 kilometers. This decision was reached after months of deliberation in Seoul following the outbreak of the US-Iran war this February, while Seoul simultaneously declined Washington's request for direct military support against Tehran.