Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Korea to send special envoy to Iran to discuss Middle East situation: foreign ministry
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, right, poses with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, in this file photo from Sept. 25, 2025. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
By Park Ji-won
Korea will dispatch a special envoy to Iran to study the situation in the Middle East, as contradictory reports from the U.S. and Iran about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continue, according to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday.
The sending of an envoy was decided during a phone call between Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.
The phone call was made as the situation in the region remains unclear even after the U.S., Israel and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement the previous day. A total of 26 ships related to Korean businesses have been stranded in the strait as Iran has blockaded the key trade route since the conflict started on Feb. 28.
“Cho welcomed that the U.S. and Iran’s agreement on a ceasefire has brought the chance to resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and said negotiations between the two sides of the conflict will lead to a successful deal and bring peace and stability to the Middle East," the ministry said in a press release.
"Cho said he will dispatch a special envoy of the foreign minister to Iran to discuss the situation in the Middle East and bilateral issues between Korea and Iran.”
The Korean minister also stressed the need for a swift and safe resumption of free navigation for all vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including Korean ships. He asked Iran to continue paying close attention to the safety of Korean nationals in the country.
In response, Araghchi explained Iran's position to Cho. "He welcomed the dispatch of Korea's special envoy and the two ministers agreed to keep communicating over the issues," the ministry said.
When the ceasefire was announced, Araghchi said in a statement, “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” However, the steps for coordination and the nature of the technical limitations remained unclear.