National Security Office Director Chung Wa Dae said on the 6th that an explosion and fire accident occurred on a Korean shipping company's operating vessel trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, "Whether it was attacked is not certain."
Following US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would temporarily suspend 'Project Freedom,' a maritime rescue operation for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, citing significant progress in negotiations with Iran, Chung said, "I think the need to review our participation has been eliminated due to the suspension of operations."
The director held a briefing at the Blue House that afternoon and said regarding 'Namuho,' the Korean vessel where a fire broke out in the Strait of Hormuz, "The government is currently making efforts to understand and evaluate the situation, including the cause of the ship's fire," adding, "The ship is currently being towed and is expected to enter the port around dawn tomorrow (Korean time)."
He continued, "We are currently evaluating the cause of the fire and a team will be dispatched to assess the situation," explaining, "Although there was speculation about the possibility of an attack in the early stages of the fire, further information review showed that the attack was not certain. We need to confirm that part."
He added, "We were considering holding a National Security Council working-level meeting while keeping the possibility of an attack in mind, but after reviewing additional information, it is not clear whether there was an attack," and said, "There was no flooding or tilting of the ship. For now, we are monitoring the situation without holding a working-level meeting and responding through other means of communication."
It appears that the investigation into the cause of the fire will begin in earnest after 'Namuho' arrives at Dubai Port. The vessel is currently waiting to be towed, and it is expected that towing will be completed between dawn and morning on July 7th (Korean time), but the situation is fluid.
A Blue House official said regarding the period for determining the cause of the fire, "It is difficult to say exactly how long it will take to determine," but added, "Since there are parts that can be judged by external observation, we believe that we will be able to make a better judgment within a few days. We will review (corresponding) countermeasures accordingly."
Regarding 'Project Freedom' proposed by President Trump, the director said, "This morning, President Trump announced that there had been progress towards an agreement with Iran and that while the maritime blockade would be maintained, the project would be temporarily suspended," adding, "Therefore, review is no longer necessary."
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Is this all Trump's fault...?
