Seoul: The debris from airborne objects that struck an HMM-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz last week arrived in South Korea to undergo analysis, the foreign ministry said.
The debris was flown in following consultations with the United Arab Emirates government and will be closely analysed by specialised agencies, it said in a notice to the press on Friday.
An on-site inspection conducted last weekend found that the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., was struck by two airborne objects while stranded in the strait on May 4, leading to an explosion and fire on board, reports Yonhap news agency.
The government has yet to identify the objects or who was behind the attack.
A senior government official said earlier that the possibility it was launched by an actor other than Iran was “not high,” and that a “commensurate diplomatic offensive” would be needed once the perpetrator was identified.
The strike was the 33rd attack on a civilian vessel since the war in the Middle East began with the United States and Israel’s attack on Iran on February 28, and Seoul was reviewing how other countries responded in previous cases, according to the official.
The official had also said that a specialised agency under the defence ministry would thoroughly analyse the debris to determine the details of the attack.
The analysis is expected to be conducted by the Agency for Defence Development, a state defence research institute.
Earlier on May 10, experts stated that the confirmed strike by unidentified objects on a South Korean-operated cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to give Seoul grounds to consider joining US-led missions aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the strait, experts said on Sunday.
Releasing the results of a government investigation, the foreign ministry said two “unidentified flying objects” were confirmed to have struck the cargo vessel, the Namu, one after the other in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4.
The Panama-flagged cargo vessel, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., suffered an explosion and fire while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
(IANS)
