Shafaq News- Seoul

South Korea disclosed Sunday that two of its cargo ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, in separate incidents that Seoul is still investigating —one involving an aerial attack, the other a collision with an unidentified object.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Park Il told reporters that the HMM Namu was hit by two unidentified aircraft approximately one minute apart, triggering a fire in the engine room that spread rapidly through the vessel following the second strike. The aircraft appeared on surveillance footage but could not be precisely identified in terms of type, origin, or size. Authorities plan to conduct further analysis on engine debris and other fragments recovered after the attack.

All 24 crew members aboard the Namu were confirmed safe and the fire extinguished, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said.

In a separate incident on the same date, the ministry confirmed that a second HMM vessel, which had been stranded in the strait, was struck in its rear section by an unidentified object, following a field inspection by South Korean authorities. No further details were released on the nature of the object or the extent of the damage.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked since late February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. Iran denied responsibility for the attack on the HMM Namu, with its embassy in Seoul firmly rejecting and categorically denying the accusations.

Seoul's Defense Ministry said it would "carefully review its position" on joining US-led escort operations in the strait, citing international law, maritime safety, and alliance considerations.