Two South Korean Ships Pass Through the Strait of Hormuz for the First Time Since the Ceasefire MOU

[Financial News] Two South Korean-flagged vessels that had been trapped inside the Strait of Hormuz have now left the conflict zone. This is the first time a South Korean ship has crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Iran agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 22nd, two vessels operated by a Korean shipping company, which had been waiting inside the strait, passed through and are now sailing normally. No Korean crew members were aboard, and their destination was not South Korea.
The MOF said it could not disclose specific details about the vessels' passage, including the shipping company or ship names, citing the safety of the ships and the interests of the operator.
With the two ships passing through on the day, the number of South Korean-flagged vessels remaining inside the Strait of Hormuz fell to 22. A total of 135 Korean seafarers, including those on Korean and foreign shipping lines, are still in the area.
The ships that have now reached safer waters are operated by a Korean shipping company, and all crew members were foreign nationals. Their destination is another country, not South Korea.
Their safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz appears to have been influenced by the approach of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran. The two countries signed and put into effect a ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the 18th local time. Iran then decided to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for 60 days without charging transit fees.
However, it remains unclear when other ships will be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on the 20th local time, citing Iran's state-run Mehr News Agency, that Iran had declared the strait closed again. In a statement released that day, the Central Military Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya, which commands Iran's armed forces, said, "In response to the United States' clear violation of the principle of good faith and its failure to fulfill its promises, including noncompliance with Article 1 of the MOU, and in light of the Israeli regime's repeated violations of agreements and failure to withdraw in southern Lebanon, we declare the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to vessels passing through it."

leeyb@fnnews.com Lee Yu-beom Reporter