[사설] Iranian vessel detention, mobilize all diplomatic capabilities to solve

A Korean merchant ship sailing near the Strait of Hormuz was captured by Iranian regular soldiers, the Revolutionary Guard, and then detained in Iranian ports. It is said that 20 people, including 5 Koreans, 11 Myanmar, 2 Indonesians, and 2 Vietnamese, are on board. The government must use all its diplomatic capabilities to promptly lift the detention of merchant ships and lead the crew to be released safely.

In order to resolve the case, it is urgent to accurately grasp the background and the background of the arrest. Iranian military authorities announced the reason for the arrest that the detained vessel, the Korean Chemi, “repeatedly violated marine environmental regulations.” As the’Korea Chemie’, which was carrying 7200 tons of ethanol, caused massive marine pollution, there was a request from the Maritime Affairs and Port Administration and the prosecution to investigate it. If this announcement is true, the Korean government should urge the Iranian government to investigate the environmental pollution problem as quickly as possible and then to take humanitarian action.

However, there are also observations that there is something different about Iran’s detention of Korean ships. The company to which the detaining vessel is affiliated refuted that the possibility of contamination was slim unless there was an external shock. In fact, there is no news of a recent chemical spill in the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, it was confirmed that negotiations between Korea and Iran were under way to release Iran’s crude oil exports of $7 billion (about 7.6 trillion won), frozen by the Korean financial authorities, as funds to purchase the Corona 19 vaccine . Of course, it is not possible to conclude a direct link between this negotiation and the capture of ships. I don’t want to believe that the Iranian government would have used this method to recover the exports. However, the government needs to keep all possibilities in mind. South Korea is cooperating with the US-led economic sanctions against Iran, but since the biden administration is expected to restore the Iranian nuclear agreement, it is necessary to respond while considering establishing relations with Iran, an important oil producer. Choi Jong-Geon, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he was going to visit Iran.

Efforts to bring out broader cooperation from the international community are also important. The Hormuz Strait is a place where about a third of the world’s maritime crude oil transports pass, and the interests of countries around the world, including the United States, are intertwined. It is at this level that the US State Department immediately demanded the release of detained vessels, saying, “Iran is threatening freedom of navigation.” It is also worth paying attention to the British experience and advice that a domestic oil tanker was detained in Iran two years ago and released after 65 days. Whatever the circumstances, the government must make all-round diplomatic efforts to lift the detention and release the crew. It goes without saying that the personal safety of the crew, including the Korean people, is a top priority.