Activists rally in Seoul to oppose warship dispatch to Middle East

by Yoo Na-hyun Posted : March 17, 2026, 16:25Updated : March 17, 2026, 16:25
Participants chant slogans during an emergency press conference by Seoul civic groups opposing a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and war in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun central Seoul March 17 2026 AJP Yoo Na-hyun 20260317
Protesters rally at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on March 17, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
SEOUL, March 17 (AJP) - Civic activists held a rally at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on Tuesday to oppose the possible dispatch of warships to the Strait of Hormuz as well as the deployment of South Korean troops to the Middle East.

They chanted with banners and stickers reading "no war" and "no deployment," urging an end to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which began with U.S.-led airstrikes on Iran late last month.
 
An emergency press conference by Seoul civic groups opposing a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and war is held in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun central Seoul March 17 2026 AJP Yoo Na-hyun 20260317
Protesters rally at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on March 17, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
An emergency press conference by Seoul civic groups opposing a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and war is held in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun central Seoul March 17 2026 AJP Yoo Na-hyun
Protesters rally at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on March 17, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
An emergency press conference by Seoul civic groups opposing a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and war is held in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun central Seoul March 17 2026 AJP Yoo Na-hyun
Protesters rally at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on March 17, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
Participants place stickers reading “No War” and “No Deployment” on a mock iron-bar structure during an emergency press conference by Seoul civic groups opposing a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and war in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun central Seoul March 17 2026 AJP Yoo Na-hyun 20260317
Protesters rally at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on March 17, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun