South Korea Avoids Blaming Iran Over Cargo Ship
Strike in Strait of Hormuz
Seoul has footage of the May 4 attack on
the HMM Namu but analysts say it is biding its time, hoping ‘the dust will settle’
·
South Korea is proceeding cautiously in identifying
who attacked the South Korean-operated cargo ship HMM Namu near the Strait of Hormuz on May 4.
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Surveillance footage reportedly shows two airborne
objects striking the vessel while it was anchored off the United Arab Emirates.
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Analysts believe the South Korean government
suspects Iranian drones but is delaying any formal accusation.
·
Officials are reportedly waiting until after the
expected summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping before taking a definitive
position.
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Experts say Seoul fears that openly blaming Iran
could increase pressure from Washington to join US-led maritime security
operations in the region.
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South Korea’s foreign ministry stated that the
attacking objects remain “unidentified” and said there are “limitations” in
determining their origin.
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Iran has officially denied involvement in the
attack.
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However, Iran’s state-linked outlet Press TV
published commentary appearing to justify attacks on ships violating Iran’s
“new maritime rules” in the strait, though Tehran later distanced itself from
the article.
·
President Trump accused Iran of attacking the
vessel and urged South Korea to support efforts to secure shipping routes in
the Strait of Hormuz.
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South Korean officials stressed they would not
“jump to conclusions” while investigations continue.
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The Panama-flagged bulk carrier HMM Namu, operated by South Korean
shipping company HMM, was struck twice within one minute, causing a fire in the
engine room.
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All 24 crew members escaped unharmed.
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Damage to the ship included a large irregular
five-metre hole in the hull, which some analysts say resembles drone impact
damage rather than a missile strike.
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Investigators are analysing recovered debris and
surveillance footage but have not disclosed the type of weapons used.
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The incident comes amid growing attacks on
commercial shipping linked to the escalating Iran conflict.
·
Ships linked to Thailand, India and China have also
reportedly faced attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
·
The Chinese foreign ministry recently confirmed
that a tanker with Chinese crew members was attacked earlier this month.
·
South Korea is considering a “two-track” response:
o
maintaining diplomatic ties with Tehran to
safeguard shipping interests,
o
while potentially protesting directly to Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps if responsibility is confirmed.
·
Washington continues pressuring allies to join
maritime protection efforts, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urging
“real burden-sharing” during talks with South Korean Defence Minister Ahn
Gyu-back.
·
South Korea is participating in a multinational
security meeting led by Britain and France to discuss restoring safe navigation
through the Strait of Hormuz.
South
Korea is treading carefully in attributing blame for the strike on one of its cargo
ships earlier this month, even as preliminary signs point to Iranian drones being
the culprit.
Seoul
has surveillance footage of the incident in the early hours of May 4 – when two
airborne objects struck the HMM Namu while it lay at anchor off the United Arab
Emirates – but so far has said little.
Observers
believe the government is biding its time and waiting to deliver a verdict until
after a highly anticipated US-China summit later this week that some suggest could
influence the trajectory of the Iran war.
It
was also likely aware that “once it assigns blame to Iran, it could face greater
pressure from Washington to join the Maritime Freedom Construct or other US-led
maritime initiatives”, said Doo Jin-ho, a senior security researcher at the Korea
Research Institute for National Strategy, referring to on-again, off-again efforts
to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Seoul
hopes the dust will settle on the incident with the passing of time,” he added.
On
Sunday, a South Korean foreign ministry spokesman told a media briefing that “two
unidentified aircraft” had struck the Namu, adding that there were “limitations”
on identifying the objects’ origin.
Iran
has officially denied responsibility for the attack, though an article published
last week by state-owned outlet Press TV did appear to offer justification for “the
targeting of a South Korean vessel that violates the new maritime rules defined
by the Islamic Republic” regarding shipping in the strait, adding it “served as
an unambiguous signal”.
Tehran
later distanced itself from the commentary, saying it reflected the opinion of an
individual writer rather than the official position of the Iranian government.
A
day after the incident, US President Donald Trump said, without providing evidence,
that the vessel had been “shot at” by Iran after choosing to “go it alone”. In a
separate social media post, Trump said Iran had “taken some shots” at the ship and
other targets, and called on South Korea to join efforts to secure shipping in the
Strait of Hormuz.
“We
are not going to jump to conclusions about who is behind the strike,” foreign ministry
spokesman Park Il said at an emergency briefing on Sunday.
He
also dismissed speculation that the Iranian ambassador to Seoul had been summoned
to lodge a formal protest, describing the meeting between Saeed Koozechi and Park
Yoon-joo, South Korea’s first foreign vice-minister, as
necessary “to explain our investigation results”.
“We
are communicating with relevant countries based on the facts confirmed so far and
the government plans to take necessary responses going forward,” the spokesman said.
Speaking
to reporters after the meeting, Ambassador Koozechi said:
“We merely discussed general matters regarding this accident.”
‘Real burden-sharing’ call
Washington
has been pressing Seoul for weeks to join US-led efforts aimed at reopening the
Strait of Hormuz, with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth applying the pressure
once again on Monday during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back.
“In
this current global threat environment, the strength of our alliance is critical,
and we look to our partners to stand shoulder to shoulder with us,” Hegseth told
a joint media briefing at the Pentagon.
“Real
burden-sharing is the foundation of a resilient alliance, and it is essential for
effectively deterring our mutual adversaries.”
The
Namu, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipping company HMM,
was struck twice on May 4, one minute apart, sparking a fire in the engine room.
Photographs released by Seoul’s foreign ministry show the port side of the stern
plating rent and buckled, leaving a ragged five-metre cavity in the hull.
All
24 sailors on board escaped unharmed – a detail that, for some analysts, suggests
smaller, less lethal projectiles.
Hong
Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said
a missile strike typically carved a circular impact mark into a hull, while the
irregular, elongated wound on the stern of the Namu looked more like the work of
a drone.
Investigators
have confirmed that the projectiles were captured on surveillance footage, though
they have so far declined to identify the weapons’ type, size or provenance. Recovered
debris is still being analysed.
National
Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a press briefing on Monday that Seoul “strongly
condemns” attacks on civilian vessels, including the Namu.
Beyond
the South Korean ship, vessels linked to Thailand and India have also reportedly been struck or targeted
by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
It
was subsequently confirmed by China’s foreign ministry
on Friday that an oil-products tanker carrying Chinese crew
had been attacked earlier this month – the first known strike on a Chinese vessel.
“All
those countries whose vessels have come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz are
proceeding cautiously in dealing with the fallout,” said Kang Jun-young, a political-science
professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, adding that all eyes
would be on Thursday’s summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in
Beijing.
“No
country is willing to be the first to take on the burden, while waiting to see how
the international community converges on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,
which is a shared asset for all humanity.”
Should
Iran ultimately be confirmed as the attacker, Seoul is reportedly considering a
“two-track” approach: keeping diplomatic lines to Tehran open to protect its shipping
interests in the strait, while directing formal protests specifically at Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the operational culprit.
A
senior government official told journalists on Monday that once the attacker was
identified, South Korea would respond at an “appropriate level”, but its reaction
would “not differ significantly from that of other countries”.
On
Tuesday, South Korea was set to take part in a multinational defence ministerial
meeting co-chaired by Britain and France to discuss security in the Strait of Hormuz,
with the aim of restoring safe passage for shipping.
Seoul’s
defence ministry said Major General Woo Kyung-suk, director
general for policy planning, would attend the online meeting alongside officials
from more than 40 other countries.