Following the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ announcement of the investigation results regarding the attack on the Korean vessel HMM Namu in the Strait of Hormuz, it has been confirmed that Deputy Chief of Mission James Heller of the U.S. Embassy in South Korea engaged in a phone conversation with officials on Monday.
According to comprehensive reporting by News1, Deputy Minister Park Yoon-joo spoke with Deputy Ambassador Heller on the evening of November 10. Deputy Minister Park reportedly conveyed the findings from the government’s joint investigation team regarding the Namu incident and exchanged perspectives with her American counterpart.
Previously, a Foreign Ministry official had stated that the government maintained constant communication with the U.S. regarding the joint investigation results, without disclosing specific details about the parties involved, methods, or timing of these communications. It has now been confirmed that Deputy Minister Park and Deputy Ambassador Heller communicated via telephone.
This approach contrasts with the government’s decision to summon the Iranian ambassador directly to the Foreign Ministry. Ambassador Saeed Koozehchi visited the Foreign Ministry the previous day to meet with Deputy Minister Park. While the ministry explained that Iran is also a relevant party in this matter, necessitating an explanation of the investigation results, some interpret the summoning of the Iranian ambassador immediately after the local investigation of the Namu as a move to hold Iran accountable. This suggests that Iran may need to provide an explanation to South Korea.
In an emergency briefing the previous evening, the Foreign Ministry announced that on May 4, the Namu, which was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked by two unidentified aerial vehicles. The government’s joint investigation team explained that based on closed-circuit television (CCTV analysis) and interviews with the captain, they confirmed that the two aerial vehicles struck the aft port ballast tank’s outer shell at one-minute intervals.
While the government stated that it could not identify the type of aerial vehicles or the attacking party, the nature of the hull damage has led to speculation about the possibility of an attack by small to medium-sized drones from Iran. The fact that the two aerial vehicles struck the same location consecutively suggests that the attack may have been premeditated.
If the Namu incident is ultimately confirmed to be an attack by Iran, significant diplomatic repercussions are expected. Earlier, President Donald Trump raised the possibility of an Iranian attack in connection with this incident. However, both the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Embassy in South Korea have firmly denied any claims of Iranian military involvement.
