Vice foreign minister departs for Iran to negotiate release of seized oil tanker
South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun leaves for Iran from Incheon International Airport on Sunday to negotiate with the country for release of South Korean tanker MT Hankuk Chemi seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Jan. 4. Yonhap
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun left for Iran on Sunday to negotiate an early release of the South Korean oil tanker and its crew seized by Iranian authorities last week.
Choi boarded a plane early Sunday and is set to arrive in Iran via Qatar, officials said. He is expected to meet his counterpart and other high-level officials at the Iranian foreign ministry, joined by the South Korean delegation that arrived earlier in Tehran.
On Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) seized the MT Hankuk Chemi carrying 20 crew members, including five South Koreans, on allegations of environmental pollution. The ship is currently at a port in Bandar Abbas, a city on Iran's southern coast. The South Korean Embassy in Tehran confirmed the safety and health of all 20 sailors Wednesday.
"I'm a little relieved to know that the crew is safe, but the situation is serious," Choi told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
"We hope to hold in-depth talks with key officials whether it is a consular issue or other major issues between South Korea and Iran," he added.
In this photo released by Tasnim News Agency, MT Hankuk Chemi is being detained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Strait of Hormuz on Jan. 4. Yonhap
Iran has claimed that the seizure took place due to "technical issues" and that the matter will be addressed in line with its judicial process. The ship's operator has denied the oil pollution allegations.
The seizure came amid lingering tensions between Seoul and Tehran over the latter's money frozen at South Korean banks under U.S. sanctions. Iran has urged the release of assets worth some US$7 billion frozen in two South Korean banks since September 2019, when Washington's sanctions waiver for South Korea's imports of Iranian oil expired.
According to a diplomatic source here, Iran made a request to South Korea for the use of the frozen money to purchase medicine, medical equipment and COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility, a global vaccine procurement mechanism.
"It will be a good opportunity to clearly hear once again what the Iranian government wants and to distinguish what (we) can do and cannot do regarding the issue, as well as what needs to be consulted on with the U.S.," Choi said. (Yonhap)