S. Korea Weighs Joining Hormuz Mission After Korean Ship Explodes

(MENAFN) Seoul is actively weighing a US proposal to join "Project Freedom" in the Strait of Hormuz, the South Korean presidential office confirmed Tuesday — one day after a South Korean-operated bulk carrier was crippled by an onboard explosion in the contested waterway, local media reported.

The presidential office, known as Cheong Wa Dae or the Blue House, set out Seoul's foundational position in a statement carried by the Korea Times: "The government holds the principle that safety at international maritime passage and free navigation meets all nations' common interest and should be protected according to the international law."

The office elaborated further, stating: "We are reviewing the US proposal about the Strait of Hormuz based on the principle, the military readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and domestic laws. About Project Freedom, (South) Korea and the US have been closely communicating for safe use of key waterways, including the Hormuz Strait."

Senior officials convened Tuesday to coordinate Seoul's formal response to the fire that erupted following a blast aboard a bulk carrier operated by a prominent South Korean shipping company in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump wasted little time pressing Seoul to enlist in the US-led waterway mission — which Washington says is intended to guide stranded vessels safely through the passage, currently obstructed by both Iranian forces and American naval assets.

South Korean authorities said all necessary steps were being taken to establish the precise cause and conditions surrounding the explosion. "We will be able to determine the exact cause of the incident when inspecting the damage once the ship is towed," the Foreign Ministry said.

Following interagency discussions, the Blue House indicated the investigation would require considerable time. "It is expected to take several days to analyze the cause," the office said, according to media. It further confirmed the vessel "will be towed to a nearby port using a tugboat for investigation, with investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and the National Fire Agency to be dispatched.

The incident unfolded late Monday when the HMM Namu — anchored off the coastline of the United Arab Emirates — was rocked by the blast, leaving the ship fully disabled. The fire broke out in the engine room, where crew members mounted a roughly four-hour battle against the blaze using the vessel's onboard carbon dioxide suppression systems. All 24 crew members — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals — were confirmed unharmed.

An official from South Korea's HMM Co., which operates the carrier, acknowledged that investigators have yet to determine whether the explosion stemmed from an external strike or an internal mechanical failure. Twenty-six South Korean-flagged ships remain stranded in the strait.

With the HMM Namu still smoldering, Trump publicly pressed Seoul to commit to the Hormuz mission, remarking that "perhaps it's time for South Korea to come and join the mission."

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported Monday that two missiles struck a US Navy vessel near Jask Island in the Gulf of Oman — an allegation Washington flatly rejected.

Tensions in the region have been on a steep upward trajectory since Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a sweeping warning that any vessels violating transit protocols issued by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz "will be forcefully stopped."

The broader crisis erupted on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate against Israel and US allies throughout the Gulf while sealing off the Strait of Hormuz. Since April 13, Washington has maintained a naval blockade specifically targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic corridor.

A Pakistani-brokered two-week ceasefire took hold on April 8, followed by direct negotiations in Islamabad on April 11–12 that failed to yield a binding agreement. Trump subsequently extended the truce at Pakistan's request, offering no new expiration date.

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