South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it is working to find ways for South Korean ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, including through consultations between the South Korean and Iranian governments, after a Japanese oil tanker made the passage for the first time with Iranian approval.
A ministry official said the government’s position is that, under relevant international norms, freedom of navigation and safety should be ensured as soon as possible for all vessels in the strait, including South Korean ships.
“Based on this basic position, we are actively seeking ways to break the current situation, including consultations between the South Korean and Iranian governments,” the official said.
The official added that the government is communicating and cooperating with related countries in various ways, while considering ship safety and the positions of shipping companies.
Since the outbreak of the Iran war, 26 ships linked to South Korea have remained in the Strait of Hormuz. Chung Byung-ha, the foreign minister’s special envoy to Iran, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and requested Iran’s cooperation to allow vessel navigation in the strait.
Iranian media reported that a Panama-flagged very large crude carrier owned by a Japanese company, carrying 2 million barrels of crude, left the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after receiving approval from Iranian authorities.
Japanese media, citing a senior Japanese government official, reported that no transit fee was paid and described the passage as “the result of negotiations by the Japanese government.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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