Korea eyes safe exit for 24 ships in Hormuz, weighs role in securing waterway
Universal Winner, a very large crude carrier operated by South Korean shipper HMM, nears a port in the southeastern city of Ulsan, June 10. Yonhap
As the United States and Iran have reached a peace deal aimed at ending their war, South Korea is expected to put its diplomatic priority on securing the safe passage of 24 ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday (U.S. time) that the two sides had reached a peace agreement, with the strait set to reopen once the deal is formally signed Friday.
The announcement followed months of hostilities that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and which effectively choked off the waterway.
The 24 vessels, with a total of 137 Korean sailors onboard, have been pinned in ports across Qatar and the United Arab Emirates since the war shut down the waterway, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes for oil, fertilizer and other commodities.
For South Korea, the closure hit hard as it depends on the strait for energy imports.
Seoul has kept a back channel open with Tehran, pushing for secure safe passage for its vessels through a waterway thick with mines and military tension.
The effort has been not without results. Last month, the HMM-operated Universal Winner became the first Korean ship to pass through since the war began, followed last week by a liquefied natural gas carrier that made it through.
Yet, whether the strait becomes fully safe to navigate anytime soon is another question. The security situation is expected to remain unsettled even after the signing of the peace deal, with further negotiations ahead and sea mines still to be cleared.
That uncertainty is pushing Seoul toward a bigger decision on whether to take a more active role in restoring freedom of navigation through joining the U.S.-led Maritime Freedom Construct or signing on to a separate multinational mission led by France and Britain.
Meanwhile, South Korea has assets it could draw on: 12 mine-sweeping vessels and the Cheonghae naval unit currently running anti-piracy operations off Somalia, which could potentially be redeployed to the strait. Any such expansion, however, would require approval from the National Assembly, according to the defense ministry.
The Group of Seven summit in France slated for Monday to Wednesday is expected to put these questions front and center.
President Lee Jae Myung will attend the summit and is likely to face growing pressure to define Seoul's role in the post-war order at sea.
The defense ministry said it has been "actively participating" in international discussions on the strait, but has yet to determine its official position.
"We will review the matter based on international law, waterway safety, our security alliance with the U.S., stability on the Korean Peninsula and relevant domestic laws," the defense ministry said.