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| Koh Kyung-sok, center, director-general of Africa and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport before departing for Iran, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
Despite the government's efforts to get an early release of a Korean-flagged oil tanker and its crewmembers seized by Iran, including sending senior officials for negotiations, it remains to be seen if the move will pay dividends as Tehran is negative about the diplomatic visit, insisting the seizure was a technical matter related to marine pollution.
In addition, the case is believed to be related to a feud stemming from U.S. sanctions on Iran, leaving little room for Seoul to maneuver on its own and raising speculation that the release may have to await until the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is open to talks with the Middle Eastern nation.
On Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps seized the MT Hankuk Chemi, with a crew of 20, including five Koreans, which was carrying 7,200 tons of ethanol, in the Strait of Hormuz for causing "environmental pollution" ― the ship is currently in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. Along with the five Koreans, 11 Myanmarese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese were also on board the tanker which was traveling from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates.
The government dispatched a delegation to Iran led by Koh Kyung-sok, director-general of the foreign ministry's Africa and Middle Eastern affairs, Thursday, which will be followed by a scheduled visit by First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun who will fly to Teheran, Sunday, and seek to negotiate the release of the crew and the vessel.
However, the Iranian government has made it clear that talks on the seizure of the ship were not on the agenda and that Choi's trip was arranged to discuss other pending bilateral issues, including Iranian assets of $7 billion (7.6 trillion won) frozen in two Korean banks due to the U.S. sanctions.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Choi's trip has nothing to do with the seizure and there has been no agreement for a separate visit, as the matter will be dealt with via a defined legal path that does not require a diplomatic trip. Earlier this week, the Iranian authorities also said the seizure was based on a court order after the ship had repeatedly caused oil pollution ― an allegation strongly denied by the ship operator.
The incident comes at a time when Iran has been complaining about the Korean government's failure to release the $7 billion due to U.S. sanctions re-imposed in 2018 after President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 multinational nuclear pact. Last July, the Iranian foreign ministry threatened Korea with legal action at the International Court of Justice.
In that respect, some suspect Iran has ulterior motives ― in other words, it was sending a message to the incoming Biden administration, urging the U.S. to sincerely engage in negotiations on rejoining the nuclear deal.
However, the situation in Washington does not favor an early release of the ship and its crew due to new sanctions recently imposed on Teheran by outgoing President Trump.
The Trump administration imposed new sanctions on 12 Iranian steel and metal makers earlier this week, to cut an important revenue source for the regime and stymie its continued funding of terrorist groups in the region. In that sense, speculation is growing that there might be a breakthrough in the case after Biden takes office, Jan. 20.
"Iran is using the seizure to protest the U.S. sanctions and seems to believe it has nothing to lose from the move, raising the possibility for the country to prolong the incarceration of the crew and holding the tanker," said Shin Beom-chul, the director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.
"Should it be dragged out, we will have to wait until after the Biden inauguration for a breakthrough."
