Cho Hyun: "One Korean Oil Tanker Leaving Strait of Hormuz in Coordination with Iran"

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun announced on May 20 that "one Korean oil tanker is exiting the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran."

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is responding to lawmakers' questions during the current issues inquiry at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly on May 20, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

During the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting at the National Assembly on this day, Minister Cho stated, "We have completed consultations with the Iranian authorities, and the vessel began its voyage yesterday. It started sailing with extreme caution." He added, "The shipment size is 2 million barrels of crude oil."

In response to lawmakers' criticisms regarding a lack of transparency—such as the government's decision not to release the CCTV footage from the HMM Namu, which was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz—Minister Cho referred to the tanker’s passage and explained, "All of these matters are closely related. It is not about trying to hide something, but rather about the timing."

According to Bloomberg News, the Universal Winner, a Korean-flagged oil tanker carrying Kuwaiti crude oil, began sending signals indicating it was inside the Strait of Hormuz from the morning of May 20.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on May 18, Iranian authorities notified the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Iran that one Korean vessel would be permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Following this, the Korean government consulted with the shipping company and internally decided to proceed with the transit. The tanker commenced its voyage in waters near Qatar in the early morning of May 19, Korea Standard Time, and is following the navigation route proposed by Iran.

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