Cho Hyun, South Korea's Foreign Minister, stated on May 14 that the attack on the HMM cargo ship Namwoo and other civilian vessels is "unjustifiable and unacceptable under any circumstances." He emphasized the government's commitment to ongoing consultations with relevant countries regarding the incident.
During a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Cho announced that the government will conduct a further investigation into the attack on the Namwoo and take necessary measures based on the findings.
A senior official from the Foreign Ministry noted that the wreckage of the vessel was initially at the South Korean consulate in Dubai but has since been moved to the South Korean embassy in Abu Dhabi. The official stated, "We expect to bring the wreckage to Korea as soon as possible. Once it arrives, we believe that the specialized investigation agency at the Ministry of National Defense will conduct a thorough examination to uncover various details."
In addition to analyzing the wreckage of the aircraft engine, the investigation will also accelerate on-site assessments. The Ministry of National Defense dispatched a technical analysis team consisting of over ten experts from the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and other institutions to Dubai on May 13. The team plans to conduct a detailed investigation and analyze various pieces of evidence while collaborating with relevant countries to establish accurate facts.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage is also a critical factor in the investigation. The senior official mentioned that the shipowner has cited various reasons for not releasing the CCTV footage that captured the aircraft. "I have not seen it yet, but there are currently differing opinions. However, we hope to persuade them to release the footage, which could become part of the investigation process," the official said.
Cho added, "We will closely monitor the developments of the war in the Middle East and changes in the international order following the conflict, particularly in terms of their impact on our citizens and national interests. We will make agile and multifaceted efforts to turn various crises into opportunities."
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry warned against overinterpreting comments made by a senior official who stated that while the possibility of an attack from entities other than Iran is currently unknown, it is not likely based on common sense, as there were no pirates in the vicinity.
During a regular briefing in the afternoon, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il emphasized, "The government will work to identify the cause of the incident and the perpetrator through the analysis of the recovered aircraft engine wreckage and the dispatch of the technical analysis team for further investigation. We wish to refrain from mentioning specific countries at this time, as the perpetrator has not yet been identified, and we will take necessary measures based on confirmed facts from the investigation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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