The defense ministry confirmed Tuesday that it sent a team to the Middle East to assess conditions around the Strait of Hormuz, but denied reports that the United States had asked Korea to deploy military assets there by a November deadline. The ministry emphasized that the team’s mission was to assess the regional situation and security conditions and was not conducted on the assumption that Korean forces would eventually be deployed. “The claim that the U.S. requested the deployment of our assets to the Strait of Hormuz by a specified deadline is not true,” the ministry said in a statement. It added that no decision has been made regarding a possible deployment. A senior military source also cast doubt on the possibility of Korean forces being sent to the region as early as November. “The possibility of a deployment in November appears to be extremely low,” the source told The Korea Times. “It is difficult to confirm an exact date at this point.” The ministry’s statement came amid growing speculation over when and how Korea could contribute militarily to international eff