South Korea condemns attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, vows response
By Kyu-seok Shim
SEOUL, May 11 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Presidential Blue House on Monday condemned in the strongest terms this month’s attack on a cargo ship operated by a Korean carrier in the Strait of Hormuz and said it planned to respond once the source of the attack was determined.
A Blue House official said experts had conducted an initial forensic analysis of the damage to the port’s stern. The attack caused a fire in the ship’s engine room.
Official, forwarder HMM Co. He said the ship Namu, operated by , did not violate any rules in force at the time in the waters off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and that this was an unjustifiable case of attack on a commercial ship.
“We condemn this in the strongest terms,” South Korean presidential national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a news conference. Wi said that damage to the ship was detected in a forensic examination carried out by South Korean officials and experts at a port in Dubai.
According to a Blue House official, damage was not previously known following the attack due to its location at the lower aft portion of the pier.
The official said it was not known what role Iran played in the attack. Tehran has previously denied responsibility for the attack, which caused a powerful blow to the ship’s side.
On Monday, the Iranian embassy in South Korea said in a statement that it had no position on the issue but would announce any updates or official positions if there were any.
US President Donald Trump said Iran opened fire on the South Korean ship shortly after the incident and called on Seoul to join US-led efforts to secure ship passage through the strait.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim, Jack Kim and Heejin Kim, Editing by Ed Davies)
