South Korea’s government said May 5 it is reviewing U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Seoul to take part in a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz following an explosion and fire involving a South Korean vessel, citing readiness on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures.
The government also said it will move quickly — and accurately — to determine the cause of the incident and disclose findings transparently to the public.
The presidential office said the government’s position is that the safety of international sea lanes and freedom of navigation serve the common interests of all countries and must be protected under international law. It said South Korea is actively participating in international efforts to stabilize, restore and normalize global maritime logistics networks as soon as possible.
“In that context, we are also paying attention to President Trump’s remarks,” it added.
On the U.S. military’s launch of “Project Freedom,” aimed at helping merchant ships leave the Strait of Hormuz, the presidential office said South Korea and the United States have remained in close communication on the stable use of major sea lanes, including the strait.
The presidential office held a meeting chaired by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik to discuss response measures related to the South Korean ship incident that occurred in Hormuz the previous day. Attendees included the head of the crisis management center, the secretary for oceans and fisheries, the secretary for foreign policy, and the head of the national situation room.
For the investigation, the government plans to move the vessel to a nearby port using a tugboat contracted by the ship’s operator, berth it, and then immediately dispatch personnel from the Dubai branch of the Korean Register to conduct a safety inspection.
To ensure a more objective and reliable determination of the cause, it also plans to send investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and forensic experts from the National Fire Agency, separate from the operator’s own inquiry.
The presidential office said the analysis is expected to take several days, given the time needed to deploy the tugboat, berth the ship, dispatch investigators from South Korea and conduct analysis.
Diplomatic efforts are also underway. South Korea is sharing relevant information and maintaining close communication with the United States, Iran and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, it said.
Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social on May 4 that Iran had fired several times toward “unrelated countries,” including a South Korean cargo ship, over ship movements linked to “Project Freedom,” adding that it seemed time for South Korea to join the operation.
Yoo Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said that at this stage, with the cause of the explosion and the party responsible not clearly identified, confirming the facts should come first. He said that rather than immediately joining combat operations, it would be preferable to maintain a balance between alliance cooperation and preventing escalation through limited, noncombat contributions such as information sharing, maritime surveillance and dispatching liaison officers.
The government also said it will move quickly — and accurately — to determine the cause of the incident and disclose findings transparently to the public.
The presidential office said the government’s position is that the safety of international sea lanes and freedom of navigation serve the common interests of all countries and must be protected under international law. It said South Korea is actively participating in international efforts to stabilize, restore and normalize global maritime logistics networks as soon as possible.
“In that context, we are also paying attention to President Trump’s remarks,” it added.
On the U.S. military’s launch of “Project Freedom,” aimed at helping merchant ships leave the Strait of Hormuz, the presidential office said South Korea and the United States have remained in close communication on the stable use of major sea lanes, including the strait.
The presidential office held a meeting chaired by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik to discuss response measures related to the South Korean ship incident that occurred in Hormuz the previous day. Attendees included the head of the crisis management center, the secretary for oceans and fisheries, the secretary for foreign policy, and the head of the national situation room.
For the investigation, the government plans to move the vessel to a nearby port using a tugboat contracted by the ship’s operator, berth it, and then immediately dispatch personnel from the Dubai branch of the Korean Register to conduct a safety inspection.
To ensure a more objective and reliable determination of the cause, it also plans to send investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and forensic experts from the National Fire Agency, separate from the operator’s own inquiry.
The presidential office said the analysis is expected to take several days, given the time needed to deploy the tugboat, berth the ship, dispatch investigators from South Korea and conduct analysis.
Diplomatic efforts are also underway. South Korea is sharing relevant information and maintaining close communication with the United States, Iran and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, it said.
Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social on May 4 that Iran had fired several times toward “unrelated countries,” including a South Korean cargo ship, over ship movements linked to “Project Freedom,” adding that it seemed time for South Korea to join the operation.
Yoo Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said that at this stage, with the cause of the explosion and the party responsible not clearly identified, confirming the facts should come first. He said that rather than immediately joining combat operations, it would be preferable to maintain a balance between alliance cooperation and preventing escalation through limited, noncombat contributions such as information sharing, maritime surveillance and dispatching liaison officers.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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