Most Korean Ships to Transit Strait of Hormuz Within Days... Foreign Ministry to Continue Safety Monitoring

Korean-flagged vessels that had been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for an extended period are expected to mostly exit within a matter of days. As of June 25, out of 26 Korean vessels present at the outbreak of the Middle East crisis, a total of 13 have already departed, with 13 remaining.

Oil tanker escaping Hormuz docking at Ulsan crude oil unloading facility. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters at the Government Complex Seoul on this day, "Our vessels are now passing through the Strait of Hormuz as normal, with half of them having already crossed, and we expect to continue hearing news of successful passages. Provided that there are no external factors such as a worsening of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the issue regarding the passage of our vessels is being resolved to a significant extent." The official added, "The government, together with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and overseas missions, is operating as one team to continuously monitor conditions for passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the safety of our vessels and crews, and will continue supporting the passage of the remaining ships."

Since the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the sudden outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war in March, the Korean government has maintained a consistent position that "freedom of navigation for all vessels must be guaranteed." In addition to close coordination with the United States, Korea also communicated with Iran through diplomatic channels at all levels, monitoring the situation on a near 24-hour basis in real time.

As the blockade dragged on and more vessels sought to leave, the Iranian side at one point unilaterally demanded passage fees. The Korean government maintained its stance that such fees could not be paid, and continued to demand free and rapid passage for all vessels as before the war. This resulted in a somewhat lengthy delay for Korean-flagged ships to exit the strait; however, after a phone call between the foreign ministers of Korea and Iran on May 17, the first vessel was able to leave the strait. This milestone accelerated follow-up negotiations for the passage of the remaining ships.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran to end hostilities, a surge of more than 500 vessels set out at once, causing bottlenecks at the narrow entrance to the strait. Among the roughly 100 vessels that exited the strait over the past three days, 11 were Korean—an achievement attributed to sustained diplomatic efforts.

Given that, in the case of Japan—which has maintained long-standing diplomatic relations with Iran—37 out of 45 vessels still remain, the pace of Korean ships passing through the strait is relatively fast. It is also believed that the incident on May 4 (local time), in which the Namuho was struck by an Iranian missile, served as leverage during discussions to ensure the safe passage of the remaining ships.

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