Regarding the situation of the chemical carrier’MT Korea Chemie’ captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Chairman Song Young-gil of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Transportation Day announced on the 6th that there were 5 Koreans out of 20 sailors and all were delivered as safe.
Chairman Song called the 1st Vice Minister Choi Jong-Geon of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the National Assembly at 10 am on the 6th and held an emergency meeting and said: Earlier, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards captured the Korean Chemie at 3:30 pm (10 am local time) on the 4th, saying, “It repeatedly polluted the environment.”
The Democratic Party’s secretary Kim Young-ho, along with Song Young-gil, chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Transportation, talks ahead of an emergency meeting to report on the situation related to the detention of Korean ships in the Hormuz Strait at the Yeouido National Assembly in Seoul on the morning of the 6th. Reporter Oh Jong-taek
Chairman Song said, “We insist that the shipbuilding company did not emit any pollutants. If pollutants were sent out, they had to check with satellites or helicopters and present evidence photos, but there was no. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Iran to’prove concrete evidence of environmental pollution.'”
Some speculate that Iran’s action is to get back $7 billion (about 7.6 trillion won) of frozen oil exports from Korean banks. In September 2019, when the U.S. government raised the level of sanctions against the Iranian Central Bank from the Specially Designated Sanctions Target (SDN) to the International Terrorism Support Organization (SDGT), Korean banks froze the money. This is because if you deal with Iran, you may be subject to a secondary boycott (third party sanctions) in the United States. In this regard, Chairman Song said, “Iran is stressing that it is a technical (environmental pollution) issue, not a political issue. However, I doubt that there is a money problem in the background.”
Iranian Ambassador Savedamchi Shavestari to the Republic of Korea is taking action in connection with the Korean oil tanker’MT-Korea Chemi’ captured by the revolutionary garrison, an elite Iranian army, in the Gulf Sea (Persian Gulf) on the 5th by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Reporter Kim Seong-ryong
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “On the 5th, I called the Iranian Ambassador to Korea, Said Badamchi Shavestari, to protest and request the release of the vessel. Chairman Song also said, “I spoke with Ambassador Shavestari and I was told that there was no need to worry about safety issues.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs operated the on-site countermeasure team on the 4th of the incident, and sent the consul in charge to the Bandar Abbas port, where the Korean Chemie arrived on the 5th.
Reporter Song Seung-hwan [email protected]