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)
The Korean government has officially confirmed that the explosion and fire on the Korean-operated ship HMM Namu in the Strait of Hormuz were due to an external strike by airborne objects.Seoul remains cautious about identifying the source of the attack, as confirmation of Iran as the aggressor would likely strain Korea’s relations with both Iran and the US.Park Il, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an emergency briefing on Sunday evening that an on-site investigation organized by the Korean government had confirmed that “unidentified airborne objects” had struck the stern of the HMM Namu.Investigators concluded from the damage on the ship and security camera footage that two unidentified airborne objects had struck a ballast tank on the port stern about one minute apart at around 3:30 pm on May 4, causing the fire on the ship.After the accident, Seoul had thought the explosion was probably the result of an external strike based on sailors’ testimony. But National Security Director Wi Sung-lac cautiously observed on Wednesday that Korea could not be certain that the ship had suffered an attack.Park, the ministry spokesperson, explained that both crewmembers and ships nearby had been unable to identify the breach at the time of the attack. He repeatedly stressed that Seoul will “not jump to conclusions about who was behind the attack.”However, Iranian involvement has not been ruled out.
