A Korean government team tasked with assessing the security situation near the Strait of Hormuz returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday as Seoul cautiously weighs a potential military deployment amid U.S. pressure. The team, consisting of defense and foreign ministry officials, had left for the UAE on the weekend to conduct an on-site assessment of the overall security and operational situations near the strait, including checking key military bases and ports, as well as logistical and other conditions. They arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Thursday, according to officials with knowledge of the matter. The mission to Abu Dhabi was carried out very discreetly as Seoul is carefully deliberating its potential role in helping secure a free and safe passage through the crucial shipping lane amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. The team's dispatch has widely been interpreted as Seoul leaning toward a military deployment to join U.S.-led operations in the region, triggering immediate backlash from Tehran. The deployment issue has posed a diplomatic cha