The government is moving quickly to resolve the situation. It is known that Choi Young-ham, the Cheonghae unit, who was dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz, has also arrived nearby, asking Iran to promptly lift the detention of the’Korean Kemiho’. There is a reporter to report on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reporter Kwak Sang-eun, please tell us the current situation.
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Yes, the government has been focusing on confirming the exact location of the Korean Kemi and the safety of its crew right after it became aware of the detention yesterday (4th).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is said to have requested the Iranian side to lift the early detention of the’Korean Kemiho’, and it is said that it is requesting an accurate understanding of the circumstances through the Iranian embassy in Korea.
However, it is said that the Korean government has not yet confirmed the safety of 20 sailors, including the captain in his 60s and 5 Koreans.
The Ministry of National Defense also dispatched the Cheonghae unit Choi Young-ho near the Strait of Hormuz and took safeguards against Korean ships sailing in the nearby waters.
It is known that the Cheonghae Corps Choi Young-ship, who departed from the waters south of Muscat Port in Oman, arrived near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards cited the continued threat of environmental pollution from South Korea’s Kemiho as a reason for detention, but the government is grasping the Iranian side’s exact intentions without excluding the possibility that the actual intention may be elsewhere.
The government is paying attention to the growing tensions between the United States and Iran in the Gulf waters, including the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 3rd, a day before the outbreak, Iran has foretold retaliation against the United States and its allies in the first cycle of the death of the Iranian military commander Gasem Soleimani, which was killed in a drone raid.
Reuters reported that the US State Department is calling for the immediate release of Koreans and Korean ships.