[News Today] Flying object debris to arrive in Korea

[LEAD]

The debris from the aerial object that struck the HMM Namu in the Strait of Hormuz will be brought to Korea for a detailed inspection. But assessing the damage to the fire-hit engine room alone is expected to take at least several days. The foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates has defined the attack on the Korean cargo ship as terrorism.

It also strongly condemned the attack.

[REPORT]

Korean cargo ship HMM Namu is currently docked at a Dubai port.

Unlike when it first arrived, it's hard to see any crew member working on the outside such as the deck.

The ship's operator HMM is focused on determining the damage to the scorched engine room.

Due to complicated connections of the engine, generator and electric system, it's more difficult to repair the engine room than the hole on the hull.

As unexposed thermal damage needs to be verified, HMM said that just identifying the scope of the engine room damage will take at least several days.

This means that fixing the entire vessel could take one to two months minimum to as long as over six months.

Meanwhile engine debris of the aerial objects that struck the vessel will soon be transported to Korea.

Foreign minister Cho Hyun said the debris will arrive soon to be investigated at various facilities including a research institute with expertise in the field.

First, the exact specifications and type of the objects need to be discerned and the Agency for Defense Development is expected to carry out a thorough inspection.

Meanwhile the foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms the terrorist drone attack on the Korean cargo ship without identifying the perpetrator.