South Korea is considering expanding its military operations in the Middle East by extending the Cheonghae anti-piracy unit's operational area from the Gulf of Aden to the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on Oct. 15. Seoul is also considering reinforcing the unit and seeking parliamentary approval to extend its deployment beyond Dec. 31, though President Lee Jae Myung has ruled out missions that would draw South Korea into the Iran war .