On the 28th of last month (local time), smoke was rising over Tehran, Iran, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. AP Yonhap News

As the Middle East situation has worsened following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, South Korea and the United States are said to have discussed whether to send U.S. Forces Korea weapons.

According to government and military sources on the 5th, South Korea and the United States recently discussed a plan to send U.S. Forces Korea weapons to the Middle East. As the Middle East crisis shows signs of becoming prolonged and demand for munitions and the like rises, the U.S. side is said to have conveyed to the South Korean side a policy of drawing on U.S. Forces Korea weapons.

A senior official at the presidential office said on the 2nd regarding the Middle East situation, “It is difficult to provide detailed explanations about consultations between South Korea and the United States on the operation of U.S. Forces Korea assets” and added, “We are in consultations.”

Some observers have even raised the prospect of drawing on major U.S. Forces Korea assets beyond the Patriot air defense system aimed at North Korea, such as ATACMS tactical surface-to-surface missiles. The United States rotated Patriot batteries last June ahead of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 2nd (local time) regarding the strikes on Iran, “We expected it would take 4~5 weeks, but we have the ability to sustain it longer than that.”

The government was reticent about the discussions on drawing on U.S. Forces Korea weapons. The presidential office press office said in a media notice that “It is not appropriate for our government to comment on the operation of U.S. Forces Korea assets.” Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jeong Bit-na also said at a regular briefing that “It is not appropriate for our government to comment on the operation of U.S. Forces Korea assets.”