As hopes rise for the Iran war’s end, Korea must prepare

Hopes are rising for an end to the Iran war, which was triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes in February. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, "All I have to do is leave Iran. We will leave soon," and indicated that military operations could cease in two to three weeks. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also signaled an openness to ending the conflict, provided that conditions are met to prevent further aggression.
With both sides publicly expressing such an intent despite their differences over cease-fire terms, expectations of the war ending have grown. Korea's stock market, which had fallen sharply after the outbreak of the crisis, rebounded more than 8 percent on Wednesday, reflecting this renewed optimism.
Still, it is too early to assume the conflict will end soon. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the United States will "negotiate with bombs" and deployed the 82nd Airborne Division, Marine forces and B-52 strategic bombers to sustain pressure on Iran. Iran's resistance also remains firm.
However, while significant obstacles to a settlement remain, Trump's plan to deliver a national address and his earlier remark about receiving a "gift from Iran" have raised expectations that negotiations may be advancing, even if the details remain unclear.
The greater concern lies in how Korea should respond to the shifting global order. The Trump administration has indicated that countries should manage passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked due to the war, on their own, and Iran has reportedly imposed transit fees of $2 million per oil tanker. For Korea, which depends heavily on Middle Eastern energy imports, the burden is unlikely to ease even after the conflict ends. Damage to oil and liquefied natural gas facilities has further heightened supply risks and exposed structural vulnerabilities.
The government should therefore reassess its energy response measures and maintain an emergency posture by diversifying supply sources. It should also replenish U.S. Forces Korea assets that may have been redeployed during the crisis while strengthening the alliance with the United States and sustaining regional security cooperation in Northeast Asia. Effective diplomacy requires securing national interests at such sensitive and uncertain moments.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.