A coalition of 601 South Korean civic groups marched from the U.S. Embassy to the presidential office in Seoul on September 9, 2026, to protest the government's consideration of military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz (the critical waterway linking the Persian Gulf to global oil shipping lanes, currently blockaded by Iran). The demonstrations follow months of U.S. pressure on Seoul to contribute to efforts to reopen the strait after a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran earlier this year, with Washington reportedly leveraging semiconductor tariff threats to compel South Korean involvement. Protesters and political parties across the spectrum have condemned the potential deployment as unconstitutional and a violation of sovereignty, with the Lee Jae-myung administration saying it will seek public consensus before any final decision is made, as further large-scale protests are planned for September 12.