Fifty-five percent of South Koreans oppose sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz, while Trump pressures Seoul to provide more assistance to the United States, putting significant pressure on the South Korean president.
On September 11, 2026, at 10:14 AM, Bloomberg News reported that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is facing increasing political pressure after his approval ratings plummeted to a new low amid opposition to deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz. The Seoul government is considering options for supporting the security of this strategic shipping lane after US President Donald Trump increased pressure on South Korea to play a greater role.
A Gallup Korea poll conducted between September 8-10 among 1,000 people nationwide found that Lee's overall approval rating had dropped to 38%, a decrease of 2 percentage points from the previous week's survey. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Meanwhile, 55% of respondents opposed deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, compared to 32% who supported it. The strong opposition among supporters of Lee's ruling Democratic Party, at 69%, further increases the political risk to the South Korean leader, who has more than three years remaining in his single five-year term.
The survey results put Lee in a difficult position as the government considers whether to send troops or equipment to the Middle East while trying to manage its relationship with the Trump administration.
Last week, South Korean media reported that the Seoul government had begun preparing for the possibility of sending military forces or resources to the Strait of Hormuz following Trump's increased pressure on South Korean allies over Seoul's refusal to support a war with Iran. However, the South Korean government stated that no final decision had been made regarding the deployment of troops.
If South Korea decides to send troops to the area, it would be a significant shift in stance, following the abrupt reduction in the size of joint military exercises between the two countries last month. At the time, Trump stated that Lee rejected his request for South Korean assistance in the Iran situation, responding with "No, thank you."
Pressure on South Korea to support U.S. military operations has exacerbated other tensions in bilateral relations, including progress on Seoul's commitment to investing in the U.S. under trade agreements, and disputes over South Korea's response to the massive data breach involving Coupang's South Korean businesses, a U.S. publicly traded company.
Choi Jong-gun, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of former President Moon Jae-in, stated that troop deployment should not be used as a down payment for negotiations. He questioned why, if South Korea sends troops but fails to achieve its objectives, those forces would become embroiled in a conflict, and the trump card already played cannot be easily reclaimed.
President Lee's approval ratings have been declining for more than two months, according to weekly polls. The latest drop comes despite an unexpected cabinet reshuffle last month to strengthen the president's ability to control and push policy agendas.
Housing issues remain a major cause of public dissatisfaction with the government's performance, with 24% of those disapproving citing this as the primary reason. Meanwhile, 16% were dissatisfied with the recent cabinet reshuffle, and another 10% cited economic and living conditions.
Conversely, among those who approved of the government's work, 19% cited diplomatic policy as a key reason, while 13% supported the government's economic policies.
Reference: www.bloomberg.com
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