[News Today] “Experts to probe ship fire in Hormuz”

[LEAD]

Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency meeting over the Namu vessel incident in the Strait of Hormuz. The government will first move the vessel to a nearby port, then dispatch experts to determine the cause of the explosion and fire.

The analysis is expected to take at least several days.

[REPORT]

The day after the explosion and fire on the Korean cargo ship in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency meeting.

The government raised the response level from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to a pan-government level.

The nation's top office is taking a cautious stance, only saying that the cause of the explosion should be identified first.

The government has decided to tow the ship to a nearby port to conduct an inspection first without drawing any conclusions about external attacks.

Apart from an investigation by the shipping company, the government says it will dispatch domestic experts from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and the National Fire Agency to the area for investigation.

Cheong Wa Dae expects that it will take at least several days to determine the cause.

It added that it's monitoring the safety of the ship and the crew in real time.

It said the Oceans Ministry and the Cheonghae Unit are keeping in touch with the crew and responding to questions from their families.

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks urging South Korea to participate in the military operation in the Middle East following the ship's explosion, Cheong Wa Dae showed a cautious stance, only saying that it is taking note of the remarks and reviewing them.

Seoul says it will handle the matter based on the principles of international law, the defense readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula, and domestic legal procedures.

It stressed that the government will take all necessary measures swiftly and thoroughly with the top priority on the safety of Korean nationals and ships.