This photo, provided by the foreign ministry on Sunday shows a 7-meter-wide rupture in the hull of the HMM Namu. Yonhap
The confirmed strike by unidentified objects on a South Korean-operated cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to give Seoul grounds to consider joining U.S.-led missions aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the strait, experts said Sunday.
Releasing the results of a government investigation, the foreign ministry said two "unidentified flying objects" were confirmed to have struck the cargo vessel, the Namu, one after the other in the Strait of Hormuz last Monday.
The Panama-flagged cargo vessel, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., suffered an explosion and fire while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
A seven-member government team conducted an on-site investigation aboard the vessel after it was towed from the scene to a port in Dubai on Friday.
The attack left a 7-meter-wide rupture in the hull, although no injuries or casualties were reported among the 24 crew members on board, including six South Koreans.
The foreign ministry has yet to identify the exact model or size of the flying objects due to "limitations." The ministry also said it will not prejudge who was behind the attack, adding that further analysis will be conducted.
The experts note the new findings could serve as a turning point for Seoul, which has so far kept a low profile regarding the possibility of joining the U.S.-proposed Maritime Freedom Construct (MFC), aimed at enhancing security-related information sharing in the strait and combining diplomatic action with military coordination.
They say it could also fuel U.S. pressure on Seoul to join efforts to keep the strait open.
Following the explosion, U.S. President Donald Trump initially claimed that Iran had "taken some shots" at the cargo ship and pressed Seoul by saying it was time for the country to join a mission to keep shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Korea Times News
