Iran Releases Korean Vessel... Until Complete Resolution

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] It took the Iranian government a month to release the crew members of the Korean vessel.

On the 4th of last month, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard seized the Korean-flagged ship 'Hanguk Kemi' near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, detaining a total of 20 crew members, including 5 Koreans, as well as crew from Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia, at Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran.

The Iranian government claimed that the seizure was due to marine pollution, but it is analyzed that the underlying reason was dissatisfaction over being unable to use Korean won funds frozen in Korea due to U.S. sanctions.

The government has been continuing dialogue with Iran for the release of the crew, including dispatching a government negotiation team led by Vice Minister Choi to Iran on the 10th of last month.

Accordingly, the Iranian government released the detained crew of the ‘Hanguk Kemi’ on the 2nd (local time), after 29 days of detention.

This release is interpreted to have been influenced by the Korean government’s decision to pay Iran’s overdue United Nations contributions using Iran’s frozen oil export proceeds held domestically.

Iran had previously claimed that the ship seizure and the frozen funds of $7 billion (approximately 7.56 trillion won) were separate issues, but it has become clear that the two issues are closely intertwined.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “We have agreed to use the frozen funds to pay Iran’s UN contributions. Only technical issues remain to be discussed with the U.S. This progress helped Iran feel the sincerity of our efforts.”

The government plans to convert the frozen funds into a currency other than the U.S. dollar and pay the contributions without passing through U.S. banks. Iran recently had its voting rights suspended at the UN due to unpaid contributions and requested Korea to pay these using the frozen funds. It is known that Iran must pay at least $16.25 million (approximately 1.8 billion won) to restore its voting rights.

However, Iran, which has claimed that the ‘Hanguk Kemi’ caused environmental pollution, stated that it cannot release the captain and the ship until judicial procedures are completed, leaving room for controversy. Many of the 19 released crew members, including 4 Koreans, may have to remain in Iran to manage the ship.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the on-site support team from the Korean Embassy in Iran boarded the detained 'Hanguk Kemi' on the 3rd, met with the crew, and checked living conditions and overall circumstances.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Iran released 19 crew members on the 2nd, excluding the Korean captain and the ship, the on-site support team visited the detention site the following day.

The support team boarded the Hanguk Kemi, anchored near Rajaei port in southern Iran, met with the crew, inquired about their willingness to disembark, and checked the living conditions on board and the ship’s status after about a month of detention.

This consular visit was the first case since the Hanguk Kemi was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on the 4th of last month, where the Iranian side approved boarding and interviews with all 20 crew members.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-geon spoke with the captain of the Hanguk Kemi, inquiring about the crew’s health and well-being, and mentioned that the government will continue to make every effort to secure the early release of the captain and the ship.

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