"The shipowner did not want the Namu CCTV footage released"... U.S. information is being shared and analyzed

[Financial News] The government explained that the South Korea-U.S. cooperation system is operating normally to conduct a detailed investigation into the HMM Namu, which was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. There had been repeated criticism that the identification of the attacker was being delayed because of limits on information sharing between the two countries.
A senior government official told reporters on the 14th, "Linking this issue to restrictions on information sharing between South Korea and the United States is an astonishing stretch of imagination. We are in close communication with the U.S. side and are analyzing the information it has."
However, after U.S. President Donald Trump said immediately after the incident that the Namu had been attacked, Cheong Wa Dae (The Blue House) did not confirm that it was a strike, raising concerns about disruptions in information sharing between Seoul and Washington.
The CCTV footage, a key piece of evidence related to the attack on the Namu, has not yet been cleared for release because of a request from the shipowner, it was reported.
In response, the senior government official said, "We are not ruling out releasing the CCTV footage," adding, "During the investigation, the government can persuade the shipowner to make it public."
On the possibility that the vessel was hit by a missile, the official said, "Drones fly from above and attack. It is difficult to strike the underside of a ship," adding, "So I think that is why it was presumed to be a missile."
The official said it remains unclear whether the debris from the flying object that struck the Namu was from a drone or a missile. The Ministry of National Defense sent a technical analysis team to Dubai on the 13th for a scientific forensic investigation, the official added.
The official said, "The debris from the flying object was moved from Dubai to the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in the United Arab Emirates. It will come to Korea soon. We are consulting with the UAE." The official added, "If the attacker is identified, an appropriate response should be taken," but also said, "There are almost no cases where someone is precisely identified and says, 'I did it,' so we need to see more of the investigation results."
On claims that an Iranian militia was behind the attack, the official said, "There is no militia in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran has not only the IRGC but also a regular navy, and there are terrorists as well, so we still do not know who did it."
The government said it is taking a cautious approach because 26 of South Korea's ships are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
The senior government official said, "The Namu attack was the 33rd case, and a 34th attack also occurred against a Chinese vessel. A Thai vessel also suffered casualties. All other cases are also being reviewed in the investigation." rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter