The South Korean government will participate on Friday in a 35-nation foreign ministers' meeting on the Strait of Hormuz blockade, led by the United Kingdom.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told reporters at the Government Complex Seoul that "Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeong Ui-hye will attend the 35-nation foreign ministers' meeting via video conference at 8 p.m. Korean time," adding that "the meeting will serve to assess developments related to the Strait of Hormuz."
The UK-led meeting will bring together foreign affairs officials from the 35 countries that joined a statement condemning Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on May 20. The meeting is being convened to discuss how countries with interests in the Strait of Hormuz could contribute, assuming a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The South Korean government is expected to use the meeting to monitor the positions of relevant nations in order to secure the safe passage of 26 Korean vessels currently stranded in the strait.
Regarding President Lee Jae-myung's directive to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to ensure safe passage for Korean vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the official said, "We will manage this in close coordination with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries," adding, "We will closely monitor developments across all relevant countries in the Middle East and pursue diverse measures to protect Korean nationals and ensure the safety of energy transport."
When asked whether South Korea would engage in direct negotiations with Iran to secure passage through the strait, the official left the door open, saying, "We must naturally review this comprehensively, taking into account the trajectory of negotiations between Iran and the United States, the positions of major countries, and developments among various nations in multilateral settings," adding, "We will proceed with caution." The official also stressed, "We are naturally taking the South Korea-Iran relationship into consideration, and diplomatic communication channels with Iran are always open."
Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remark that "Korea has not been helpful" in relation to the Hormuz Strait blockade situation, the official said, "We are paying attention to President Trump's remarks and will make careful and deliberate judgments in close communication with the United States."