South Korea faces an uncomfortable question: How much should an ally sacrifice for a war it did not choose?

U.S. President Donald Trump increasingly appears to expect Seoul to answer: more.

As the U.S. war with Iran enters its seventh month, Washington is pressing Seoul to contribute to efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Seoul has sent an inspection team to the United Arab Emirates and is considering possible contributions to maritime security, but says no decision has been made to deploy troops. Any military deployment would require parliamentary approval.

South Korea has legitimate reasons to care deeply about Hormuz. The strait is critical to its energy security, and disruptions have contributed to rising oil prices. Brent crude recently climbed above $107 a barrel as fighting and attacks on regional energy infrastructure intensified.

But an economic interest in keeping the waterway open is not the same as an obligation to join a U.S. war.

That distinction has been blurred by Trump’s increasingly unilateral approach to alliances.

The most troubling aspect of Washington’s pressure on Seoul is not that a U.S. president is asking an ally for assistance. Allies ask one another for help during crises. The problem is the apparent assumption that refusing can carry a price.

In August, Trump ordered a reduction in major South Korea-U.S. military exercises, explicitly linking the decision to Seoul’s reluctance to assist Washington's war effort against Iran. The move alarmed officials and analysts because those drills are not simply diplomatic favors to the U.S.; they are central to deterrence against North........

© The Korea Times