Seoul said pirates have recently ventured further from the Somali coast and added that it wanted to send a patrol aircraft to protect merchant ships off Oman while keeping its forces out of the ongoing Iran war.
Missile launches and a dispute over a landmine incident have heightened tensions between the two Koreas. Seoul is seeking military talks to prevent accidental clashes, but Pyongyang has yet to respond.
The German chancellor's upbeat pitch comes amid mounting pressure in Berlin, where a ministerial resignation and rising far-right support have left his coalition on shaky ground.
Seoul said Kyiv's public disclosure of the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners endangered their families in North Korea, where relatives of those who fall into enemy hands face punishment. Ukraine has rejected South Korea's accusations.