Foreign Ministry takes lead on Namu response as maritime incident becomes...

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac prepares for a press briefing about the attack on the HMM Namu near the Strait of Hormuz at the Blue House press room in Jongno District, central Seoul, on May 11. [YONHAP]

Seoul has shifted authority over its response on the HMM Namu attack from the maritime agency to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an indication that the government now views the incident near the Strait of Hormuz as a diplomatic crisis rather than a shipping accident.

The change became apparent on Sunday, two days after a joint government investigation team — comprising inspectors from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and fire investigation officials who were dispatched to the scene on Friday — completed its initial on-site survey. The Blue House issued a brief statement around 2:30 p.m. saying it had received the preliminary findings and would respond after a review. Three and a half hours later, it was the Foreign Ministry, not the Blue House or the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, that abruptly announced it would hold a briefing on the investigation. At 7:30 p.m., the ministry officially declared the cause of the explosion to be "external impact by unidentified airborne object."

Multiple Democratic Party (DP) officials confirmed to the JoongAng Ilbo that the Blue House made the decision during those few hours on Sunday to hand the response to the Foreign Ministry.

On May 4, the government confirmed that an explosion and fire broke out on the vessel, which was anchored in waters off the coast of the United Arab Emirates since the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint, has been blockaded since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. There were 24 crew members on board, including six Koreans. No injuries or casualties were immediately reported. The Namu was towed to a port in Dubai on Friday to conduct an inspection into the cause of the explosion and fire.

The damage caused to the HMM Namu cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz is seen in a photo shared by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 10. [FOREIGN MINISTRY]

On the same day as the Foreign Ministry's announcement, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo called Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Koozechi to the ministry for an urgent meeting to share the findings of the investigation.

The move carried clear diplomatic weight: the ambassador's counterpart at the Foreign Ministry is the director-general for African and Middle Eastern Affairs. Elevating the meeting to the first vice minister level was a signal of the seriousness with which Seoul is treating the matter. A senior DP official who requested anonymity described it as "effectively a partial summons."

The shift stands in sharp contrast to the government's posture immediately after the attack. At an emergency Blue House meeting on Tuesday, the day after the incident, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac was absent. A source at the time also noted that the Blue House appeared to be treating the matter as a maritime emergency rather than a diplomatic one. On Monday, however, Wi himself held a briefing on the investigation findings — the day after the Foreign Ministry had done so — marking the formal entry of the foreign and security policy apparatus into the lead role.

Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Koozechi leaves the government complex in central Seoul on May 10 after being called by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be briefed on the results of the investigation into the explosion aboard the HMM Namu near the Strait of Hormuz. [NEWS1]

With the control tower now in diplomatic and security hands, Korea's relationship with Iran faces its most serious test in years.

The possibility of an internal vessel defect, raised in the early days of the crisis, has largely receded. As authorities confirmed it was an airstrike, investigators are now reportedly focused on the potential that a "double-tap strike" — a tactic involving sequential hits on the same target — was used, lending weight to the theory of a deliberate drone attack.

The remaining questions are who carried out the strike and why.

The government is still cautious about identifying the perpetrator. If Iran is ultimately found culpable, the diplomatic and security consequences would be severe.

Seoul is weighing the transfer of recovered debris and damaged sections of the vessel to Korea for a detailed forensic analysis — a process that could extend the investigation to several weeks or longer. The Blue House initially indicated that results would come within days, but officials now acknowledge that a final determination could take a month or more.

"We are not at a stage where we can hastily identify Iran as the responsible party," one source said. "The priority is determining whether Korea was deliberately targeted or whether this was a mistake or miscalculation in the course of a military operation."

Park Il, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, speaks during a press conference announcing the results of a Korean investigation team's probe into the cause of the explosion and fire on the HMM Namu cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz at the government complex in central Seoul on May 10. [NEWS1]

If Iran is found responsible, sources said that the government plans to use the finding as diplomatic leverage to secure the return of 26 Korean-flagged vessels currently detained in the region, going beyond a formal expression of regret to demand concrete action.

Officials also pointed to a precedent involving Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which seized a Thai merchant vessel in March. Another Thai ship was released safely about a month later.

"We cannot rule out the possibility that even if we identify the attacker, the Iranian government will officially deny involvement," a senior ruling party official said. "The key is finding a smoking gun that leaves no room for the responsible party to evade accountability."

On Sunday, Vice Minister Park reportedly pressed Ambassador Koozechi strongly on the safety of the 26 vessels. The ambassador, for his part, has reportedly expressed regret over the damage but again denied Iranian military involvement, saying he did not want the incident to lead to misunderstanding or heightened tension.

Internally, the government is also moving toward more active consideration of military support options around the Strait of Hormuz, government sources said. Participation in the U.S.-led Maritime Freedom Construct is under active review, and should the suspended vessel rescue operation known as "Project Freedom" — a U.S. operation to guide ships stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz that has been on pause as of Tuesday — resume, Korea would have stronger justification for joining. Discussions around participation in a British- and France-led multinational naval mission, which is reportedly being assembled with post-cease-fire operations in mind, are also expected to accelerate.