South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released this photo on May 10, 2026, of the damage caused by an external strike on the HMM Namu, a Korean-operated ship in the Strait of Hormuz that reported experiencing an explosion and fire on May 4, 2026. (courtesy MOFA)
On Monday, the Blue House strongly denounced the attack on a Korean-operated cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz but did not specify which country was behind the attack.The Korean government is concerned that rushing to blame the attack on Iran might endanger the 20-plus Korean-operated ships stuck in the strait, while also encouraging the US to push Korea to join its campaign against Iran.Seoul will probably maintain a wait-and-see attitude until more progress is made in the ongoing investigation.A senior official at the Blue House told reporters on Monday that “for now, it remains unclear whether Iran is connected [with the attack on the HMM Namu].”“No country has been identified. We’re gathering information while considering several countries as potential attackers,” the official said.While officials think it is likely that Iran was behind the attack, they are not admitting that.The Blue House official also disputed the view that Iranian Ambassador Saeed Koozechi had been given a diplomatic summons when Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called him in on Sunday.The official said that the Iranian ambassador had been called in as part of an effort to facilitate communication and deliberation with a country in the region, rather than with the goal of singling out Iran.Seoul has maintained such a cautious attitude because of the potential diplomatic fallout of naming the attacker.Confirmation of an Iranian attack would almost certainly damage a bilateral relationship that Seoul has taken great pains to cultivate.In addition, the HMM Namu is only one of 26 Korean ships currently trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. Worsening relations with Iran might complicate Korean ships’ passage through the strait, as well as Korea’s purchase of crude oil, after the war is over.Another reason for Korea’s reluctance to name names is American pressure for Korea to cooperate with its military operation.If Korea concludes that the ship was attacked by Iran, the US is likely to once again pressure Korea to join Project Freedom, which is currently on pause.The senior official at the Blue House said the US is unlikely to connect the strike to its open proposal for Korea to join the Maritime Freedom Construct.The official declined to play the blame game. “While the attack should be condemned, we’re not yet at the stage of specifying who was responsible,” they said.
