The South Korean government announced Monday that the fire aboard the HMM Namoo, which broke out while the vessel was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, was caused by strikes from unidentified aerial objects.
"The investigation confirmed that on May 4, unidentified aerial objects struck the stern of the HMM Namoo," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a briefing. "The objects were captured on CCTV footage, but there are limitations in identifying the launching party, the precise model and the physical size."
Authorities have yet to determine whether the objects that struck the Namoo were drones or missiles, or which country was behind the attack. The Foreign Ministry added that it "plans to conduct further analysis on the engine debris of the aerial objects collected at the scene."
According to the briefing, two unidentified aerial objects struck the outer hull of the port-side ballast water tank at the stern of the Namoo at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time on May 4, with about one minute between the two strikes. The impacts produced flames and smoke accompanied by vibrations. The first strike ignited the fire, and the second strike caused it to spread rapidly. Park said the cause of the fire is presumed to be unrelated to anything inside the vessel.
The strikes created a hole approximately 5 meters wide in the outer hull, extending about 7 meters deep into the ship, with the damage bent inward. "The damaged area is 1 to 1.5 meters above the waterline, and considering the damage pattern from the explosive pressure and the hemispherical penetration shape, the possibility of a mine or torpedo strike appears low," Park said, explaining the basis for the "aerial object strike" assessment.
The government had earlier suggested that the possibility of an attack appeared low. Asked about this, Park said, "Initially, the hole could not be identified by the crew or nearby vessels, so the announcement was made based on the results of the on-site investigation."
Just before Park began his briefing, Iranian Ambassador to South Korea Saeed Koozechi was spotted entering the Foreign Ministry building. Asked about the Iranian ambassador's visit despite the attacker not being identified, Park said, "We are communicating with relevant countries based on confirmed facts, and since Iran is among the relevant countries, the Iranian ambassador visited to be briefed on our investigation findings."
If the unidentified aerial objects are later confirmed to be Iranian, major repercussions are expected. Iran has carried out drone and missile attacks on U.S. military vessels as well as ships from various countries in the region, prompting early speculation that Iran was behind the strike. The Iranian Embassy in Seoul, however, has denied the "Iran attack theory," stating that the Iranian Republic's military was not involved in the incident.
In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the fire an Iranian attack immediately after it occurred and has since pressured South Korea to join U.S. military operations aimed at "liberating" vessels from various countries trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. Asked whether the United States had known the identity of the attacker and whether South Korea had received any related information from Washington, Park said only, "Please understand that I am limited in what I can say specifically."
"The government will do its utmost to ensure the safety of our citizens by thoroughly investigating the cause of this incident and pursuing all possible measures, including cooperation with the international community, to prevent recurrence," Park said. "We are also closely reviewing the issue of participating in U.S. initiatives, including the U.S. Maritime Freedom Concept (MFC)."
On May 4, an explosion and fire broke out aboard the Korean cargo ship HMM Namoo while anchored in the Strait of Hormuz. There were no casualties, but the incident sent shockwaves as it marked the first time a Korean vessel was damaged in the ongoing dispute, amid an unstable ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The government subsequently towed the Namoo, which was unable to sail on its own, to the Port of Dubai and dispatched an investigation team consisting of three investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and four forensic experts from the National Fire Agency to investigate the cause of the fire. Military experts are also participating in the investigation.
