South Korea Confirms External Strike Caused HMM Namoo Explosion

South Korea's Blue House announced on May 10 that the explosion involving the HMM Namoo, a Korean vessel docked in the Strait of Hormuz, was caused by an external strike.

However, specific details of the discussions held during the National Security Council (NSC) working committee meeting were not disclosed.

A Blue House official stated, "The NSC working coordination meeting was convened with relevant ministries to discuss the incident involving the Namoo."

Earlier, on May 4, the Foreign Ministry reported that the incident was caused by an unidentified aircraft strike.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said during a briefing, "The joint investigation team confirmed that on May 4, an unidentified aircraft struck the stern of the HMM Namoo." He added, "CCTV footage captured the aircraft, but there are limitations in identifying the launching entity, the exact model, and its physical size."

Following a thorough on-site investigation, CCTV review, and interviews with the captain, the government determined that two unidentified aircraft struck the port side of the HMM Namoo's stern ballast tank twice, approximately one minute apart, around 3:30 PM on May 4.

The impacted area showed a breach approximately 5 meters wide and about 7 meters deep into the hull, bending inward.

Spokesperson Park noted, "The damaged area is located 1 to 1.5 meters above sea level, and considering the damage pattern from the explosion pressure and the hemispherical penetration shape, the likelihood of a mine or torpedo strike appears low."