Iran Holds Tanker Ship, South Korea Send Special Forces

Photo illustration of a tanker (Mostafa Meraji / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - South Korean special forces from the Cheonghae Anti-Piracy Unit, moved quickly into the waters near the Strait of Hormuz. The movement was related to the seizure of an oil tanker belonging to South Korea, the MV Hankuk Chemi by Iran.

Launching Koreatimes Tuesday, January 5, this response was taken after the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confiscated MV Hankuk Chemi. Iran argued that the ship had carried out environmental and chemical contamination on Monday, January 4.

"The Cheonghae units arrived in the waters near the Strait of Hormuz. They are on a mission to ensure the safety of our nationals," said South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan.

Although they did not specify the mission carried out, the authorities in Ginseng Country confirmed that the unit did not take military action to carry out the release.

"The issue must be resolved through diplomacy. Our unit is focused on the safety of our citizens using the route after a confiscation incident," said another official.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the South Korean government was making diplomatic efforts to carry out the release of the ship and its crew quickly.

"We have been trying to find out what happened through the Iranian Embassy in South Korea and the South Korean Embassy in Iran, and are continuing to work to resolve this situation," Kang said.

Vital path

Some analysts cite another motive why Iran seized the South Korean ship. The confiscation was said to have been the result of freezing Iranian assets in South Korea. The suspension is part of US sanctions. Kang denied the allegation. He emphasized that the confiscation was carried out for the purpose of verifying facts and ensuring the safety of the crew.

It is known that MV Hankuk Chemi was on his way from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates when the hostage taking took place. There are 20 crew on board, consisting of five South Koreans, eleven Burmese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.

The United States, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, January 4 yesterday, asked Iran to immediately release the ship. According to the United States, this is part of Tehran's efforts to pressure the international community for sanctions against them to be lifted.

Every day reported South Korean ships sailing through these waters. Therefore, South Korea also coordinates with countries whose ships also sail near these waters.

As an important international trade route linking the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, the waters that MV Hankuk Chemi traverse are the route to the open sea for more than a sixth of global oil production and 70 percent of South Korea's oil imports.