Korean Delegation to Negotiate Release of Tanker in Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Seoul plans to dispatch a delegation to Iran to negotiate the release of a seized Korean oil tanker, Korean officials said Tuesday.
The South Korean-flagged MT Hankuk Chemi was seized Monday by the IRGC Navy due to concerns of chemical pollution in waters of Strait of Hormuz.
Koh Kyung-sok, director-general of the ministry's African and Middle Eastern affairs, lodged a protest to Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and called for the release of a South Korean-flagged ship.
The two sides shared an understanding that the matter should be resolved diplomatically, according to a Korean official.
"That is what we agreed on with the Iranian ambassador during the meeting," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"A delegation, to be headed by the director-general of the related region, will be dispatched to Iran at the earliest date possible in efforts to resolve the matter through bilateral negotiations with the Iranian side," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam said in a press briefing.
The delegation will be led by Koh Kyung-sok, Director-General of the Ministry's African and Middle Eastern affairs, he added.
Koreas’ First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun is also expected to address the issue when he travels to Tehran early next week, according to the Ministry.