SEOUL, Sep 18 (Reuters): South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday he would not deploy military ‌assets to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into conflict, but Seoul was reviewing whether to play a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the region.

South Korea has maintained a naval presence off the coast of Somalia in an anti-piracy mission, while resisting calls from US President Donald Trump to play a more active military role ​in supporting Washington over the war in Iran.

"There won't be deployment that would involve or enter war. I can tell you that very clearly," ​Lee said at a news conference. "We won't deploy military assets in any form to that end."

He added, however, that ⁠it "is also clear that we must do the minimum as other countries do to protect our commercial shipping and crude shipments, and also the safety of ​our people."

South Korea's government has been reviewing a possible military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, although the idea is proving unpopular domestically.

Trump has criticised Seoul for what ​he called insufficient support for the Iran war and scaled back major joint military drills by the two countries' armed forces this summer, a move that unsettled the US ally.

Photo from Reuters