Cheong Wa Dae clarifies Lee's 'no war involvement' remarks were not a rejection of Trump's request

Cheong Wa Dae has clarified that President Lee Jae Myung's statement Friday that South Korea would not send troops to participate in a war was not a rejection of a request from US President Donald Trump.

A Cheong Wa Dae official made the clarification Saturday, according to Yonhap, in response to a New York Times report that characterized Lee's remarks at a Friday press conference as a refusal to deploy forces to the Strait of Hormuz and a rejection of Trump's request.

The Times had reported that Lee "pushed back against the Trump administration's demands, saying he would not deploy troops or military assets to support a US-led war against Iran."

The official said Lee "did not reject President Trump's request for South Korea's cooperation on Middle East-related matters" at the Friday press conference, adding that the government "has been reviewing substantive ways to contribute to protecting its citizens and safeguarding national interests, in close communication with the United States and the international community."

The official went on to say the government "will continue to examine specific ways to contribute, under the principled position of not becoming involved in war or combat."

At the Friday press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said South Korea would not deploy troops "to participate in or become involved in a war," while noting that the Cheonghae Unit was already deployed in the Middle East to respond to threats to South Korean citizens, including piracy. "It is true that we are reviewing and deliberating on ways to strengthen that," he said.