Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Prompt Resolution Needed for Iran Ship Detention Issue"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 21st that it will promptly resolve the issue of Iran's continued detention of a ship for over two weeks.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the day, "The issue of the detained Iranian ship is a bilateral matter that can be resolved quickly, and a situation where it is resolved soon will come," adding, "We expect a rational judgment from the Iranian government."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the view that the ship detention issue is linked to the freezing of Iranian funds, the official said, "Our position is that these two issues should not be connected," and drew a clear line by saying, "Since they are happening in the same time and space, one must be resolved first."

He further explained, "The ship detention issue is a bilateral matter that the Korean and Iranian governments can discuss, but the frozen funds issue stems from the structural factor of the U.S. sanctions environment, so consultation with the U.S., which set the structure, is necessary."

The Korean ship Korea Chemieho moved to Iranian waters on the 4th following a request for investigation by Iranian authorities and is currently detained in Bandar Abbas, a southern port city. The ship had a total of 20 crew members on board, including 5 Korean nationals and crew from Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

The Iranian government claims that the Iranian Maritime Authority identified marine pollution activities by Korea Chemieho and filed a complaint, and that the detention is in accordance with judicial procedures.

Since the initial detention, the Korean government has requested concrete evidence that Korea Chemieho discharged pollutants. However, while Iranian diplomatic authorities have said they requested evidence from the judiciary and related departments, it is reported that they have not yet submitted any evidence.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "We have strongly demanded the submission of evidence from the Iranian side," adding, "We need to receive concrete evidence to discuss judicial procedures and any disputes, but we have not received it yet and continue to request it."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the will to resolve the issue of frozen Iranian funds is stronger than ever.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "There are criticisms that Korea's will to resolve the frozen funds issue is weak, but I want to say that is not the case," adding, "We have respectfully listened to Iran's demands and have been consulting with the United States."

He continued, "It is true that resolving the frozen funds issue requires time, but with the new administration in the U.S., I can say that the willingness to consult with the U.S. government is higher than ever."

Iran has expressed dissatisfaction that Korea is unfairly freezing won-denominated funds citing U.S. sanctions. Due to the Trump administration's sanctions on Iran, about 7 billion dollars (approximately 7.6 trillion won) of oil export proceeds under the name of the Central Bank of Iran are frozen in Woori Bank and IBK Industrial Bank of Korea.

The government is also discussing various plans to use the frozen Iranian funds in Korea for purchasing COVID-19 vaccines or paying United Nations contributions.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Medicines and COVID-19 test kits are issues that can be resolved soon, and we expect results," adding, "I believe the Iranian government is deeply reviewing the various conversations that the government delegation had during their visit to Iran."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.