One Korean Vessel Passes Through Strait of Hormuz... Will Others Follow?

Escaped Through Negotiations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Number of Vessels Remaining in the Strait Reduced to 25

Last month, the oil tanker "Zouzou N," which passed through the Strait of Hormuz, was transferring crude oil to S-Oil through a buoy, a marine crude oil handling facility, in the waters off Onsan, Ulju-gun, Ulsan City on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

One of the 26 Korean vessels that had been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has successfully passed through the strait. Attention is now focused on whether the remaining ships will also be able to escape.

On May 20, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, "A Korean oil tanker has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and continues its voyage." This tanker became the first Korean vessel to exit the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war at the end of February. Previously, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, "Our oil tanker is leaving the Strait of Hormuz through consultations with the Iranian side."

As a result, the number of Korean vessels waiting inside the strait has decreased to 25. The HMM Namu, which was damaged in an aerial attack on May 4 and is currently under repair, also remains within the Strait of Hormuz.

The government has maintained the principle of "free passage through the strait for all vessels, including Korean ships," and plans to continue discussions to ensure freedom of navigation.

It is known that the vessel which passed through the strait was selected through consultations between the Korean and Iranian sides. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "The consultation focused on factors such as the large number of Korean crew members." More than 20 people were reportedly on board the vessel that exited the strait that day, with around 10 of them being Korean crew members.

There is growing interest in the future passage of Korean vessels through the strait. Some speculate that, from Korea's perspective, the attack on the Namu could be used as leverage to facilitate the early escape of the remaining 25 Korean vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the government maintains that it will not link the Namu attack with the negotiations concerning the escape of Korean ships when dealing with the Iranian side.

This suggests that it would not be desirable to openly use the attack on a national vessel as a negotiation card for freedom of passage through an internationally recognized waterway. It also appears that the government is taking into consideration the fact that Korean vessels remain within the range of Iranian weapons and thus should avoid provoking Iran.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun also stated at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, in response to a question asking whether the Namu attack was being used as a bargaining chip for the escape of vessels, that this is not the case: "From the beginning, we have maintained our fundamental position that all vessels must have free passage, and such incidents cannot be used as a means of negotiation."

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